Which municipalities in Norway charge the highest property tax?
Norway is known for its notoriously high taxes, but what is property tax and which municipalities charge the most? Here's what you need to know.
Figures from the Homeowners' National Association have revealed the ten municipalities in Norway that collect the highest property taxes.
Gausdal in Innlandet, Central Norway is the municipality that charges the highest property tax, according to the numbers from the Homeowners' National Association.
The municipality charges 8,780 kroner per year in property tax on the average home.
Property tax in Norway is a municipal levy that local authorities can opt to introduce. The tax is calculated as being between 0.1 and 0.7 percent of a property's residential value.
Residential value is used because some properties may be valued higher if there is the potential to use them as a leisure home such as a cabin.
Municipalities tend to calculate a rate based on a percentage of the market value rather than the full estimate to prevent sky-high property taxes in some areas. The municipalities estimation of value typically comes from Statistics Norway.
You can read more about property tax on the Norwegian Tax Administration's website.
Property in Norway: What to expect if you’re buying a home in Oslo
In 2021, 251 municipalities in Norway have levied a property tax, four more than the year before.
In addition to this, municipalities expect to rake in over 400 million kroner more in property tax this year than last year.
"We have reacted strongly to the fact that municipalities are collecting more and more in property taxes from ordinary homeowners", Morten Andreas Meyer, secretary-general of the Homeowners' National Association, told radio station P4.
The Mayor of Gausdal Anette Musdalslien told P4 that topping the list isn't something the municipality is proud of but that the property tax is necessary due to the authority's poor finances.
"This is one of the few revenue streams we have outside of state funding," she said.
Nevertheless, the Homeowners' National Association have hit out at the tax calling it unfair.
"It is a tax that does not take into account income or wealth. So it turns out to be unfair and does not contribute to the equalization that taxes are supposed to," Meyer, general secretary for the association, said.
If you think that you have been overcharged on property tax, you can appeal to the Norwegian Tax Administration here, and if you want to calculate how much property tax you will be charged, you can use this tool.
Below you can see the list of the ten municipalities which charge the highest taxes for the average 120 square metre dwelling:
1. Gausdal: 8,780 kroner
2. Giske: 8,300 kroner
3. Trondheim: 7,400 kroner
4. Skaun: 7,395 kroner
5. Vindafjord: 7,360 kroner
6. Kinn: 7,224 kroner
7. Grong: 7,200 kroner
8. Marker: 7,200 kroner
9. Vaksdal: 6,970 kroner
10. Løten: 6,791 kroner
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Figures from the Homeowners' National Association have revealed the ten municipalities in Norway that collect the highest property taxes.
Gausdal in Innlandet, Central Norway is the municipality that charges the highest property tax, according to the numbers from the Homeowners' National Association.
The municipality charges 8,780 kroner per year in property tax on the average home.
Property tax in Norway is a municipal levy that local authorities can opt to introduce. The tax is calculated as being between 0.1 and 0.7 percent of a property's residential value.
Residential value is used because some properties may be valued higher if there is the potential to use them as a leisure home such as a cabin.
Municipalities tend to calculate a rate based on a percentage of the market value rather than the full estimate to prevent sky-high property taxes in some areas. The municipalities estimation of value typically comes from Statistics Norway.
You can read more about property tax on the Norwegian Tax Administration's website.
Property in Norway: What to expect if you’re buying a home in Oslo
In 2021, 251 municipalities in Norway have levied a property tax, four more than the year before.
In addition to this, municipalities expect to rake in over 400 million kroner more in property tax this year than last year.
"We have reacted strongly to the fact that municipalities are collecting more and more in property taxes from ordinary homeowners", Morten Andreas Meyer, secretary-general of the Homeowners' National Association, told radio station P4.
The Mayor of Gausdal Anette Musdalslien told P4 that topping the list isn't something the municipality is proud of but that the property tax is necessary due to the authority's poor finances.
"This is one of the few revenue streams we have outside of state funding," she said.
Nevertheless, the Homeowners' National Association have hit out at the tax calling it unfair.
"It is a tax that does not take into account income or wealth. So it turns out to be unfair and does not contribute to the equalization that taxes are supposed to," Meyer, general secretary for the association, said.
If you think that you have been overcharged on property tax, you can appeal to the Norwegian Tax Administration here, and if you want to calculate how much property tax you will be charged, you can use this tool.
Below you can see the list of the ten municipalities which charge the highest taxes for the average 120 square metre dwelling:
1. Gausdal: 8,780 kroner
2. Giske: 8,300 kroner
3. Trondheim: 7,400 kroner
4. Skaun: 7,395 kroner
5. Vindafjord: 7,360 kroner
6. Kinn: 7,224 kroner
7. Grong: 7,200 kroner
8. Marker: 7,200 kroner
9. Vaksdal: 6,970 kroner
10. Løten: 6,791 kroner
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