‘An Unreasonable Situation’
DR News has posed a series of questions to Odense Municipality, Minister of Taxation Rasmus Stoklund (S), and the Assessment Agency.
None of them wish to participate in an interview.
In an email to DR, Odense Municipality stated that they were first contacted by the tax authorities on June 3. A little over a month later, the municipality hears from the agency again.
– On July 11, 2024, Odense Municipality receives a letter from the Assessment Agency highlighting that there is no legal basis for the approach we have used.
– Based on this, we naturally adjust our approach, but it should be noted that it has not led to reopening and changing the collection in other cases in Odense Municipality, writes the Mayor’s Office in the municipality.
Questions for the Minister
What we have asked the minister about:
- How far along are you in the work to amend the law so that as a homeowner in a new house in a newly developed area, you do not risk paying your neighbors’ land tax?
- How far along are you in clarifying whether the law should be amended retroactively?
- What is your opinion on the tax authorities, according to the letter received by Gitta Ravn, having intervened and disapproved of the processing that Odense Municipality has had in this case?
- Is it fair to a homeowner like Gitta Ravn that she now faces an additional bill of over 50,000 kroner?
- Now she says she has to sell the house if the law is not retroactively changed – what is your comment on this?
– I think it sounds like a completely unreasonable situation that a citizen has ended up in. That is why I am very focused on looking at how the rules can be changed, and I will discuss this with the other parties in the negotiating group at the upcoming negotiation meeting in September.
– Our focus is on both a forward-looking solution for future developments and a backward-looking solution for those who have unintentionally been seriously affected in individual cases, says Rasmus Stoklund.
Questions for the Assessment Agency
What we have asked the Assessment Agency about:
- What is the specific reason for assessing that there is no legal basis for the distribution that Odense Municipality assisted Gitta Ravn and her neighbors with in the second half of 2023?
- Have you proactively contacted Odense Municipality and informed them that it was not authorized by law?
- When do you first contact Odense Municipality about the case?
- How many other cases have you advised municipalities on where there was no legal basis for distributing taxes as outlined above?
In a written response, Director Anne-Sofie Jensen said:
– The Assessment Agency has been in dialogue with Odense Municipality. This happened immediately after we were made aware of the municipality’s practices.
– The Assessment Agency has provided guidance to the municipality on our understanding of the rules and what is possible within the framework of the law when collecting taxes and duties. That being said, ultimately, it is the municipality’s decision whether they want to change their practices.
DR News has requested the Assessment Agency to answer whether they proactively contact Odense Municipality and on what date they first reach out in a follow-up email.
Furthermore, we have asked how many similar cases the Assessment Agency has advised on where there was no legal basis for distributing taxes as in Gitta Ravn’s case.