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The government proposes the introduction of a new tax for fish farms and this could give Stavanger and other municipalities along the coast 500 million Norwegian kroner for distribution.
For many years, KrF politician Henrik Halleland has worked to make municipalities more likely to have fish farms. Now the work has produced results. Photo: Marie von Krogh
The government will charge a fee of øre 40 per kilogram of salmon, trout and rainbow trout produced on farms along the coast.
– This is a victory not only for the fjords and coastal municipalities, but also for democracy, districts and Norwegian national value creation, says Henrik Halleland (KrF).
For many years he was mayor of Finnøy, which is home to several fish farms. Now these have become part of the Stavanger Municipality. He thinks it is great that municipalities have something left for work.
– We have been working for many years so that municipalities obtain their share of the values that the aquaculture industry creates in the municipal maritime community, says Halleland.
He is pleased that the government has chosen to introduce a production tax and not impose a surplus-based basic interest tax.
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– With the basic interest tax, the money would have gone to the state. My experience with the state is that it withholds all income itself. Therefore, it was crucial that we get a scheme whereby the state couldn’t even consider whether the money should be sent to municipalities, says Henrik Halleland.
With the production tax, which is now defended by the government, fish farming companies will pay 40 øre per dollar. kilos in fee to the host municipality. In addition, municipalities will receive 25 percent of future sales revenue and auction revenue from aquaculture licenses.
The government proposes that this tax replace parts of what municipalities have earned since 2017 by selling new agricultural licenses.
– Why is it correct that the municipality receive this money and not the state?
– It is the host municipalities that have the responsibility of the fish farms. Municipalities must use the resources to add rights to the areas suitable for farms, so that they can be operated in a sustainable manner. When plants are up and running, they run at the expense of outdoor living in the area. Therefore, it is correct that the municipality get something for this, says Henrik Halleland.
