Liberal ministers in Denmark have proposed to scrap taxes on a variety of goods and services to provide financial relief to households grappling with rising costs of living.
ALDE Party members Venstre and Moderaterne, part of Denmark’s reigning coalition government, announced the move ahead of the country presenting its upcoming budget for the next years.
Venstre leader and Denmark’s Deputy Prime Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced a tax break on chocolate and coffee, which aims to make life easier and cheaper for businesses and customers alike.
“The chocolate tax does not exist in any other European country, and it is notorious for being the most ridiculous and bureaucratic tax. By abolishing it completely, we are freeing businesses from hassle and red tape, allowing them to focus their energies on their core business. Over the past few months, we have visited several businesses affected by the taxes: now we are delivering the biggest tax relief on groceries in more than ten years,” said Lund Poulsen.
Meanwhile, Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt from Moderaterne announced a proposal to remove VAT taxes on books to get more people reading.
At 25%, Denmark’s tax rate on books is the highest in the world, a policy the government believes is contributing to a growing “reading crisis”.
“I am incredibly proud. It is not every day that one succeeds in convincing colleagues that such massive money should be spent on investing in the consumption and culture of the Danes. It is also about getting literature out there: that is why we have already allocated money for strengthened cooperation between the country’s public libraries and schools, so that more children can be introduced to good literature,” said Engel-Schmidt.