Tax evasion: Erling Haaland’s father moves to Switzerland

It’s not just the beauty of the Swiss landscape that attracts Norwegians to Andermatt, at the foot of the Gotthard. After real estate agent Kjartan Aas, who admitted saving 2,700 francs in taxes a day, it’s Alfie Haaland’s turn to move into the famous village in the canton of Uri.

In 2021, the Manchester City striker’s father had, according to “The Norway Post”, a taxable fortune of 36 million Norwegian crowns (just under 3 million) and an estimated income of six million crowns (around 492,000 francs). This earned him to pay NOK 2.2 million in taxes, or more than 180,000 francs.

Haaland senior derives his profits from his 23-year-old son’s contract and transfer stakes. In 2016, the cyborg was transferred from the small Norwegian club Bryne FK to Molde FK. In 2019, Erling Haaland joined Red Bull Salzburg, Austria. The following year, when he was 20 years old, the striker burst onto the screen with Lucien Favre’s Borussia Dortmund jersey. Before joining Manchester City last summer, which is in the race to achieve the treble. After dominating the Premier League, Guardiola’s squad played in the FA Cup final on Saturday against ManU, then the Champions League final against Inter on June 10.

According to the economic magazine “Forbes”, the Norwegian nugget, with an estimated income of 36 million francs, is the 32nd highest paid sportsman in the world. At the beginning of the year, Nike had broken the piggy bank to keep the young star as an effigy, with a contract at the dizzying height of 22.7 million euros annually (a little less in francs) for a period of 10 years. .

Three investment companies

Last summer, the Haaland family reportedly hired former professional footballer Egil Ostenstad as chief financial officer to manage Erling’s investments and partnership deals, ‘Dagbladet’ reports. Three investment companies, named “Pillage”, would thus have been created in Luxembourg, Alfie Haaland and Ostenstad sitting on the board of directors.

This phenomenon is neither new nor marginal. According to “Blick”, 36 wealthy Norwegians moved to Switzerland last year to escape the huge tax burden in their home country. In the economic newspaper “Finansavisen”, the economic expert Geir Peter Hole explains that they do not hide in our mountains to earn more, but because “they simply try to keep the money they have”. If there is not a big difference between the two countries at the level of certain tax rates, that for the taxation of wealth and latent income from capital (profits and dividends) is more advantageous in Switzerland.

(kle/pac)Show comments