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Swedes Filing Taxes via Text Message
Just as those of us in the States have (hopefully) done this month, the citizens of Sweden will file their income taxes in May. Unlike us, though, many of them will do so with a few simple clacks on their cell phones' keypads.Over the past five years, an increasing number of Swedes have taken to their government's method of filing taxes via text message, according to CNET. Of course, these tales will strike U.S. taxpayers -- who nearly need a degree in statistics to wade through piles of W-2s, W-4s, and 1099s -- as being too good to be true.
Well, there is the one hitch in this otherwise gleaming plan: the fact that Swedish citizens don't report their income and expenditures so much as they accept the Swedish government's own report. By soliciting constant reports from employers, banks, mortgage lenders and the like, the Swedish tax authority -- Skatteverket -- reports the taxes owed to the individual, rather than the other way around. So, really, by sending that text message, Swedes simply pay the bill laid out for them (by including a governmentally-administered payment-number in the text message).
All that being said, we think we'll stick with filing our own taxes, thank you very much. Even if it does mean pulling our hair out, and rushing to get to the post office by the end of the last possible day. [From: CNET, via Textually]
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Comments
2
Subscribe to commentsPelleApr 15th 2009 3:12PM
Hey,
I happen to be Swedish and just wanted to add to this article:
Text message is one of the ways to simply confirm what the "Swedish IRS" has suggested being your tax situation. If you need to make deductions, alterations or have a more complicated tax situation (you are running a business, freelance, etc) you need to fill out some more forms (online or paper) and can't take advantage of these shortcuts (text message, online). But this definitely saves a lot of time and money for both the IRS and probably 80% of the population with straight forward work situations.
It's pretty nice to submit your taxes when you're hung over by just firing off a text msg btw.
Michael IansApr 15th 2009 4:14PM
I happen to be American as well as Swedish, and have filed tax in both USA and Sweden. I can not tell you how easy it is to file in Sweden.
You receive your tax form, all filled in by the Tax Office (Skatteverket), and all you need to do is check your own records with the form. If everything is correct, you can file by paper, electronically by the internet, or text message.
I am receiving a refund, and it took me less than 30 minutes to check the figures, double check the figures and file online.
The only drawback, is that it can take up to 3 months to receive the refund.
In the states, you have both State and Federal, and it takes hours upon hours, to fill in those forms!
Heja Sverige!