(Trønder-Avisa) Debt adviser Trygve Rossebø believes it is tragic and paradoxical that the public sector can create new debt victims.
– Most people who have challenges with high debt think that the most important thing is to prioritize money for food and electricity, but what can contribute to overturning the load is actually unpaid municipal taxes, such as the sweeping tax, says Trygve Rossebø, coordinator in the competence center for debt counseling in Nav Trøndelag.
When Norges Bank’s key interest rate has already risen by 1.5 percentage points so far this year – and a further rise is expected in December, he points to a stumbling block that far from everyone is aware of.
– Debt does not sleep, it works 365 days a year – also a sweeping fee, he adds.
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Rossebø explains the connection and the example he uses is the sweeping fee – which is now NOK 390 in Steinkjer municipality.
The celebration fee is a fee you pay to your home municipality. The thinking is that you will pay for a service that your home municipality performs for you. The sweeping fee is collected once a year. Sweeping is often carried out via an inter-municipal company, and thus comes as a separate invoice. If you do not pay the invoice by the deadline (the due date), the process of collecting the amount can start approximately one month after the claim is due. This depends on which routines the individual company has.
The celebration fee is categorized by law (Mortgage Act § 6.1) as a legal lien. This means that the municipality is guaranteed a right to pursue unpaid fees in a “fast track” – before other outstanding debts.
Rossebø believes it is important to show that people who are struggling to pay their bills are wise to prioritize the payment deadline for municipal taxes.
– It is easy to think that there is no urgency with a municipal invoice of NOK 300 or 400, but our experience is that collection takes place quickly – and that the amounts become very large when the court fees start running – for example, if it goes as far as a petition for forced sale, says Rossebø.
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– Are there many examples of the sweeping tax overturning the load – so that houses are sold at forced sale?
– Yes, unfortunately. We have cases where an unpaid sweeping fee grows to a debt amount of NOK 10,000, he says.
He clarifies that in such a case it is often that the sweeping fee comes on top of an already large debt burden in the household from legal mortgages, which can quickly trigger a forced sale.
– It is not an unpaid invoice of NOK 350 that in itself overturns the load, but because it is covered by a legal lien, it can trigger a forced sale, he says.
– Can a municipality – as the system is today – thus contribute to creating more debt victims?
– Yes, it is a big paradox. It is tragic that the municipality can in some cases contribute to making its own residents victims of debt, he says – but quickly adds:
– At the same time, it is the case that if a sufficient number of residents do not pay the sweeping fee, the overall amount could be a large amount. It is therefore important that people also pay for the services provided by their home municipality. That we, as citizens, make up for ourselves to the greatest extent possible, whether it is to the municipality or other creditors, helps to maintain the morale of payment in society, says Trygve Rossebø.
2023-10-08 18:39:48
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