Expanded powers for the Swedish Tax Agency within the population registration activities

Kalle Olsson (S)

Madam Speaker! Among the basic tasks of society are, among others, internal and external security, education, health and medical care and – one can well add – population registration.

Population registration is about having knowledge of the population's composition, identity, and family law conditions. Much else in society that we hold in high regard, such as being able to participate in elections, access welfare services, and pay the correct tax, begins with us having correct information in the population registration.

If the population registration is incorrect, it has large ripple effects and risks becoming a tool for, among other things, welfare crime. Just to give a sense of the magnitude in this context, I can mention that Ekonomistyrningsverket in 2021 estimated that incorrect payments from the welfare systems due to precisely incorrect population registration amounted to 845 million kronor.

Recently, we have had reason to draw attention to another problem within the population register, namely the problems with so-called fake registrations, or address hijacking. The fake registrations often occur in such a way that an address seller sells an address to an individual, often linked to a vacation home. The address hijackings easily become an entry point for much of what happens in the shadow society, with welfare crime, black market work, benefit fraud, and so on.

Just the trade with addresses generates very large sums of money, while it naturally also leads to great discomfort for those affected by the kidnappings. Ultimately, there is the risk – and we have seen many examples of it during the gang wars in recent years – that criminals simply attack an address because they believe a certain person is staying there, when in fact it is just a completely ordinary person's vacation home that is being attacked.

Part of the report that we are debating today concerns precisely the ability to convict those who promote the fact that an incorrect piece of information can be used as a basis for decisions regarding population registration. The new crime shall be designated as promoting incorrect population registration. It will be a way to capture more acts that are considered more serious than what would otherwise fall under aiding and abetting population registration crimes. It can involve, on a large scale, sometimes even for payment and as part of organized crime, enabling and organizing the incorrect use of addresses. It is therefore about situations that in many ways resemble what we know about the setups surrounding the address kidnappings.

We Social Democrats welcome these changes. The same applies to the other block in the report. It is about using biometric data to a greater extent to prevent misuse of incorrect identities as well as increasing the possibilities for information sharing between authorities. The entire chain in the establishment of identities must hang together. Through the Riksrevisionen's [National Audit Office] efforts, we have been able to see how it fails when it comes to establishing the correct identity of persons arriving in Sweden. The Riksrevisionen pointed out, among other things, the difficulty of getting several authorities to work effectively together and to share information.

Skatteverket can today, during identity checks in matters concerning population registration and coordination numbers, take fingerprints and facial images to verify that they correspond to the information stored in an identity document. But the fact that this information, as well as the biometric data derived from this information, must be immediately destroyed after the completed check means that Skatteverket does not have the same possibility to ensure that the person does not already appear in the population registration activities or at another authority under a different identity. With these proposed changes, the requirement for immediate destruction will no longer remain. This in turn means that the information can be used in automated comparisons and result in a more secure and faster processing during Skatteverket's identity checks.

Another part – regarding the Riksrevision’s previously mentioned audit – concerns that Skatteverket shall be allowed to compare facial images and fingerprints with data in registers maintained by Migrationsverket. It is also proposed that a passport authority, when it takes fingerprints and facial images in a case regarding a coordination number, shall be allowed to transfer that data to Skatteverket for registration. That correct data is registered early with Skatteverket is expected to contribute to a more solid and reliable identity management and thus reduce the risk of misuse in later stages.

We Social Democrats are positive about the government tightening penalties in the area of population registration. We also see it as necessary to improve the possibilities to share information and to follow up on already existing information. We therefore welcome these changes, as said.

We also welcome the sobering up that seems to have occurred in the government compared to the feverish statements in the previous election campaign, where great promises were made about an even larger census, where head by head and toothbrush by toothbrush would be counted, something of which no one has seen a glimpse.

Madam Speaker! Population registration is, as stated, a central task for the state. Therefore, the legislation must constantly be tested against societal developments. Just as we are forced to tighten the legislation due to the prevalence of serious crime, we need to act on the attempts being made to use population registration as a tool in criminal activity.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ilona Szatmári Waldau (V)

Madam Speaker! A few years ago, the Population Registration Act was amended for reasons including tackling welfare crime, and since then, the Swedish Tax Agency has become stricter in its assessments. Before the 2021 law change, homeless people could be registered as "without known residence" for two years even if the Swedish Tax Agency could not make contact. This meant that they were registered in Sweden, but without a fixed address and home municipality. After the law change, homeless people are instead de-registered as missing if the Swedish Tax Agency does not make contact with the person during an investigation.

The Swedish Tax Agency estimates that it concerns up to 100 people per year. It is certainly not many, but for those who are removed, it is a catastrophe. It is only when they need to collect medicines, obtain a bank account or bank-id, visit a doctor, or have contact with authorities that they find out they are counted as missing and no longer residing in Sweden. To be registered in the population register again, the homeless person must contact the Swedish Tax Agency and move back to Sweden, even though they never moved away from here.

Many of those who are removed from the population register are people who do not want contact with authorities, and it complicates for them to maintain their population registration in Sweden and to re-register. A functioning arrangement is needed for people who are residing in Sweden but lack a permanent residence or, for other reasons, are unable to provide an address.

Those who are resident in Sweden should not lose access to rights and social services simply because they lack an address. Improvements in the population register cannot only be about closing loopholes and making it harder to cheat. The population register also needs to function for those who are not cheating.

Madam Speaker! I support the proposals in the committee report for the most part and agree that it is important that the data corresponds with actual conditions because the data in the population register form the basis for a number of rights and obligations.

Incorrect information in the population register risks being used as a tool for, among other things, welfare crime and within organized crime. This leads both to the erosion of welfare and to reduced trust and legitimacy for the welfare systems.

In the Swedish Tax Agency's report National Situation Overview of the Population, the agency estimates that among those registered and working in Sweden, there are approximately 116,000 people who are registered with an incorrect residential address.

A significant proportion of these population registration errors are deliberately incorrect pieces of information, for example through the sale of the opportunity to report another person's residential address as one's own, as well as other types of complicity in population registration crimes.

It is obvious that the proposal will have consequences, in particular for the personal privacy of those persons who apply for residence permits or asylum in Sweden, among other things through the proposal that Skatteverket and Migrationsverket shall be allowed to make comparisons of facial images and fingerprints that are in their respective registers.

According to the government itself, it is not possible to determine exactly how common it is that persons seeking to come to Sweden use a false identity. Here, the Left Party argues that, first and foremost, it needs to be investigated how large the problem with false identity documents or other inaccuracies in applications for residence permits or asylum actually is before proposals for legislative amendments are submitted.

The government has at a rapid pace presented several proposals for legislative changes aimed at reducing people's opportunities to seek protection and create a future in Sweden. I believe that all of these proposals need to be reviewed and evaluated together in a context.

Madam Speaker! I move for approval of reservation 1 that the Riksdag should reject the proposal that Skatteverket and Migrationsverket shall be allowed to compare fingerprints and facial images with corresponding data found in the other agency's registers.

I did, however, thank my colleagues in the committee and the committee secretariat already last week, as I was not thinking about this debate. I will nevertheless take the opportunity to wish you a pleasant summer this time!

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Markus Wiechel (SD)

Madam Speaker! Today we are dealing with a technical but extremely important matter regarding expanded powers for the Swedish Tax Agency within the population registration. Behind all the legal paragraphs lies a crucial question for the entire society, namely the state's ability to know who is who and where people actually live.

The population registry is one of the state's most fundamental functions. The data governs taxation, benefits, healthcare, education, voting rights, and practically the entire welfare apparatus. When it works, we hardly notice it. But when it fails, the consequences spread across our entire society.

An incorrect population registration is not a small administrative error. It undermines trust in the entire system. When people can be registered at addresses where they have never set foot, when several people share the same identity or one and the same person lives with several different identities, the gates are flung wide open for benefit fraud, welfare crime, and organized crime. It is not about some millions. It is about billions of kronor every year that are taken from Swedish taxpayers and those in real need.

Therefore, it is most welcome that the government now continues the work of strengthening the population registration and identity control. For the Sweden Democrats, it has been a priority issue for many years. A state that does not know who is in the country, which identities are genuine, and where people actually live can neither uphold the rule of law nor the legitimacy of the welfare systems.

Madam Speaker! An important part of the bill is the new crime of promoting incorrect civil registration. It does not only affect those who themselves provide incorrect information, but also those who organize, facilitate, or profit from the fraud.

It is, for example, property owners and landlords who for payment lease out their addresses to dozens of people who never live there, or criminal networks that provide false rental contracts and potential identity documents. Such systematic crime must be met with harsher penalties. Up to two years of imprisonment is reasonable.

At the same time, it is wise to expand the area of non-punishment for minor cases. Smaller delays in move notifications or other insignificant mistakes should not be penalized. The justice system should pursue the real abusers, not punish ordinary people for carelessness.

Madam Speaker! The most noticed and important part concerns biometric data. The Swedish Tax Agency will finally be allowed to register and store fingerprints and facial images in order to be able to detect persons who live with multiple identities.

Today's system, where biometric data is destroyed immediately after control, is naive and insufficient. It has allowed the same person to appear as several different individuals and thus exploit the welfare systems multiple times.

We know that biometric data is sensitive. Therefore, the handling must naturally be surrounded by very strong legal safeguards and high information security. We cannot accept that privacy arguments become a shield for those who systematically deceive Swedish society. The right person must be linked to the right identity, period.

Madam Speaker! Through reinforced cooperation between the Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Migration Agency and the police, we are breaking the silos that criminal networks have exploited for so long. Organized crime acts in a coordinated manner – now the authorities in our society must also do just that.

Overall, the bill represents an important step towards a more reliable and robust identity management. For the Sweden Democrats, it is about both justice and social responsibility. Those who are entitled to society's support shall receive it. Those who follow the rules shall be able to rely on the rules applying equally to everyone. Those who deliberately attempt to abuse our common systems shall be met by a state with both the will and the power to act.

In Sweden, every person shall have an identity, reside at an address, and have a set of biometric data registered. Everything else is unacceptable. With this, I move for the approval of the committee's proposal and the government's proposition.

As this is the last debate of the parliamentary term for us in the Committee on Taxation, and also my last item debate, I would like to thank the committee staff for your diligent and loyal work during the past years.

I also want to thank all my committee colleagues for productive meetings and sometimes spirited debates. Thanks also to the Speaker's Bureau. I wish everyone a very pleasant summer.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Boriana Åberg (M)

Madam Speaker! Today we are debating the report Extended powers for the Swedish Tax Agency within the population registration activities.

These expanded powers include, among other things, giving the Swedish Tax Agency the possibility to process biometric data in the population register. Processing of biometric data is fundamental to stopping fraud involving multiple identities and the use of identity documents belonging to another person.

This is an issue that the Moderaterna have championed for a long time. The fact is that we went to the election with the promise to combat crime and choke off the flow of tax money to the criminals – something that the government is well on its way to succeeding with.

Madam Speaker! The Swedish Tax Agency's data must be able to be compared with corresponding data in the Swedish Migration Agency's registers. Cooperation between the agencies is very important to counter the creation of false identities.

False identities can primarily be created during immigration to Sweden, for example when a person applies for a residence permit based on ties and provides an identity to Migrationsverket. Later, the same person can, with another identity, apply for asylum or a residence permit based on ties or, until recently, work. In the next step, the person can apply for Swedish citizenship; at least one could do so before the rules were changed on 6 June.

In practice, it is therefore possible for a person with Swedish citizenship to apply for asylum under another identity and in that way obtain multiple identities.

Madam Speaker! For crime-fighting purposes, the police shall be allowed to compare facial images and fingerprints with information registered with Skatteverket. Even though incorrect population registration in itself is a crime, it often constitutes a link in other serious crimes, for example, different types of welfare crimes and crimes linked to companies. These are crimes that plunder the common good by hundreds of millions and feed organized crime.

Inaccurate population registration data such as identity, residence, and family circumstances are crucial components for various crimes to be committed. Countless are the examples of false identities that have been and still are used to hide the actual persons committing the crimes – out of reach of the justice system, laughing all the way to the bank.

Therefore, powerful measures are required that contribute to more crimes being solved and to reversing the serious crime development in society. The police authority needs to be given better conditions to use biometric comparisons so that more perpetrators can be identified and prosecuted.

Madam Speaker! According to the proposal, the passport authorities shall, in matters concerning coordination numbers, be allowed to compare biometric data with the data available in the Swedish Tax Agency's registers. We do not want to return to the system where coordination numbers were easily issued without any identity check.

Finally, Madam Speaker: The Government proposes the introduction of a new crime – promoting false population registration. Over the years, several cases of the sale of false addresses have become known, but until now, no one has been convicted of aiding false population registration.

That is why stronger legislation was needed to more easily prosecute those who, to a large extent, sell addresses as part of organized crime and exploit vulnerable people. It is unscrupulous criminals who sell false addresses to people who cannot use the addresses where they live because they often live under substandard conditions in industrial properties, basements, and other premises that lack elementary amenities such as water and heating.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it lie many very serious and grave crimes such as human trafficking and exploitation of people.

Madam Speaker! The penalty for promoting incorrect civil registration shall be up to two years' imprisonment and will hopefully deter those who profit from people's vulnerability.

At the same time, the government is correcting those parts of the legislation that have not functioned well through proposals that one should not be convicted of population registration offenses in cases of minor significance, for example, late reporting of a move or other instances where the act, considering the circumstances, can be considered minor.

Madam Speaker! The question of the processing of personal data is also to the highest degree a question of individual privacy. However, the interest in countering identity fraud and establishing the identity of those persons who stay in and are resident in the country are purposes that are acceptable in a democratic society.

Other, less intrusive measures are lacking to prevent incorrect, exploited, or multiple identities from being registered with Skatteverket and other authorities.

It is no exaggeration to say that the consequences of incorrect information in the population registration database can be devastating for our society. The welfare system is eroded, and fraud against private individuals and companies is enabled. The work of law enforcement agencies and other authorities is hindered. This undermines our society. It is therefore necessary that Skatteverket be provided with new tools and that cooperation with other authorities be facilitated.

Madam Speaker! I vote in favor of the committee's proposal in the report.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Helena Vilhelmsson (C)

Madam Speaker! During my eight years in the Riksdag, we have debated and made decisions regarding population registration very many times; I actually do not know how many. It is a sign that the old and the new technology have not really gone hand in hand, from the census via mail to running registers digitally. During this journey, as we know, illegal forces were able to go ahead and exploit the system heavily.

Order and clarity in the population register is the cornerstone of a functioning and trust-based society. Correct information about who lives in our country is not a technicality; it is the foundation for our welfare, for fair taxation, and for the justice system's ability to protect us citizens.

When the population register is abused, when addresses are sold to criminals, when people live under false identities or when benefits are paid out on incorrect grounds, trust is eroded. Then a criminal economy is created which in turn finances the gross violence we see on our streets.

The Government's bill and the Committee's proposal on expanded powers for the Swedish Tax Agency are not only welcome but completely necessary and, frankly, long-awaited.

Madam Speaker! Sweden has been naive and poorly equipped to handle the welfare crime and the organized crime that flourishes in the wake of incorrect population registration. The problems with address hijacking, identity misuse, and criminals exploiting the system are not new. Nor is it new during this parliamentary term.

We all remember, as many have mentioned before me, the area outside Stockholm, where a cottage owner was heavily exploited by criminals. The woman who owned the cottage could do nothing.

A year ago, I debated a concrete and simple proposal here in the chamber: that a property owner of a summer cottage should automatically receive a notification when someone registers their folkbokföring at the address of their summer cottage property, in the same way as is the case for the address where one lives year-round. It was a simple proposal to close an obvious loophole. But no, the response from the government was very hesitant. We submitted initiatives in the Committee on Taxation, but the answer was no.

We can, however, observe that it pays to be persistent, because it is true that the Swedish Tax Agency made this very decision entirely on its own, that is, before this bill passed the government's table. One might wonder why it must take so long before we see results from authorities and the government.

This is a pattern that repeats itself even in other cases. In Västernorrland, it went so far that a perpetrator managed to commit a heinous human trafficking and sexual offense before the government finally changed its mind and intends to stop taxing crime victims, even though I and Centerpartiet have highlighted the absurdity of this throughout the entire mandate period. It is people, crime victims, who are paying the price.

But, Madam Speaker, when there are finally sharp proposals on the table that can seriously make a difference, we of course stand behind them.

We welcome the introduction of the new crime of promoting false population registration. It is a crucial tool. It means that we are not only hunting the individual who registers at the wrong address but also targeting the criminal infrastructure itself – persons who systematically enable the fraud, sell addresses, and act as criminal fixers. That is exactly how one must work to cut off the oxygen supply to organized crime.

We also believe that the expanded possibilities for the Swedish Tax Agency to process biometric data are necessary. Being able to register and compare fingerprints and facial images is a powerful way to ensure that a person is who they claim to be and to prevent one and the same person from acting under multiple identities. Then we can prevent the type of identity abuse that enables everything from benefit fraud to terrorist financing.

But, Madam Speaker, with increased power also comes an enormous responsibility.

The use of biometric identification, especially when data is stored for future comparisons, poses a particular risk of intrusion into personal privacy. If this is not strictly regulated and handled responsibly, we risk creating a sense of constant surveillance.

All use of biometric data must occur in a legally secure, proportionate, and responsible manner. The legislation must be crystal clear and transparent. There must be robust mechanisms for independent oversight and control to ensure that this does not infringe upon fundamental civil and political rights in a disproportionate way. We are giving the state new, sharp tools, and then we must also ensure that strong safeguards are in place.

Therefore, the Centre Party will closely monitor the implementation. We need to be a guarantor that the balance between effective crime fighting and the protection of personal integrity is maintained.

We support the committee's proposal and refer to our specific statement.

Since this is the last debate of the parliamentary term, as far as we know, I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the committee secretariat, which does a fantastic job. Thanks also to all colleagues in the committee! Thanks to the parliamentary secretariat!

I also want to send a greeting to everyone who works here. I usually say that there are few other workplaces or places where I have had assignments where I have felt so welcome and been so well received. It is a joy.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Cecilia Engström (KD)

Madam Speaker! Today we are dealing with expanded powers for the Swedish Tax Agency within the population registration.

As a Christian Democrat, I mean that a functioning rule of law is based on the state knowing which persons live in the country and where they are actually residing. The population register is not just an administrative register. It is a cornerstone for the welfare, the taxation, the judiciary and our democratic system. When the population register is incorrect, opportunities are created for benefit fraud, identity fraud and organized crime.

For many years we have seen how criminal networks have exploited flaws in the systems. Incorrect addresses, false identities, and multiple identities have been used to obtain public funds and hinder crime prevention. Therefore, it is necessary for society to strengthen the control over the population register.

Madam Speaker! This bill contains several important reforms.

Firstly, the new crime of promoting incorrect population registration is introduced. Anyone who intentionally helps someone to provide incorrect information or in any other way enables incorrect population registration shall be able to be held accountable. It is reasonable. Those who contribute to undermining the trust in our registers shall not be able to escape responsibility.

Secondly, the Swedish Tax Agency will have better opportunities to use biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images to establish identity.

The proposal also implies an increased exchange of information between Skatteverket, Migrationsverket and Polismyndigheten. This strengthens the possibilities to detect identity fraud and prevent the same person from appearing under several identities.

The Christian Democrats see this as important tools in the work against organized crime. Criminals should not be able to hide behind false identities or exploit society's systems for their own gain.

At the same time, every expanded power must be weighed against the protection of personal privacy, Madam Speaker. Therefore, it is important that the use of biometric data is regulated by law, that the purposes are clearly defined, and that the data is only used when necessary. Legal certainty and privacy protection must always be safeguarded, even when society strengthens its control capabilities.

For me as a Christian Democrat, this is ultimately about maintaining trust in society. Citizens must be able to trust that the welfare systems go to those who are entitled to them. Authorities must be able to trust identity data. People must be able to feel security that society has the ability to combat fraud and crime.

Therefore, I welcome the government's proposal and vote in favor of the committee's proposal in the report.

Since this is the last debate of the parliamentary term, I would also like to thank the Riksdag Chancellery, the Speaker's Office, and the Committee on Taxation's Chancellery, which provide us with great support and help in all our tasks. Thanks also to all my colleagues in the Committee on Taxation for good debates! I wish everyone a nice summer.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Annika Hirvonen (MP)

Madam Speaker! The population register is a central foundation for our entire welfare society. It is what determines how you are entitled to various welfare benefits and in which municipality you are taxed.

Having order and clarity in the population register is completely central. We in Miljöpartiet have therefore repeatedly stood behind various rule changes that ensure a more accurate population register. Those who want to exploit the systems and cheat should not be able to get away with registering at the wrong address or having several different identities.

At the same time, we also see that certain groups have been caught in the crossfire when attempts have been made to tighten the system. This concerns, in particular, the homeless, people who do not have an address to register themselves at.

We have recently received many worrying reports about people who have tried to collect their medicines or tried to get care but received the message: You are no longer in the system. The population registration system is the basis for access to all these rights.

When the government now once again submits a proposal to tighten the system and address the fraud, we in Miljöpartiet lack measures for the people who fall through the cracks. We urge the government to take measures so that no human being who actually lives here shall be deprived of their rights. I therefore move for approval of reservation 2 in the report.

Madam Speaker! We also see a need to analyze the cumulative effects of many different reforms that affect people who have migrated to Sweden. Today, the bill is about that the different tasks of the Swedish Migration Agency and the Swedish Tax Agency shall partly be preserved and partly exchanged between one another. Even though the legislation is generally designed, in practice it affects people who have had contact with the Swedish Migration Agency, for example with coordination numbers.

The government's policy has repeatedly been characterized by the suspicion of people who have immigrated to Sweden or who have a foreign background. To a greater extent, differences are made in rights and the monitoring of people based on their migration background. It is important that measures to ensure correct population registration do not become a tool to erode equal treatment and privacy protection.

We therefore believe that the government should return with an in-depth analysis of how the expanded control powers within the population registration activities affect personal privacy and principles of equal treatment, particularly for persons in social vulnerability and with a foreign background.

Madam Speaker! I also want to conclude by saying that it might be a bit surprising for many to hear that we in Miljöpartiet are nevertheless in agreement with the government on several measures in the area. During the election campaign, it was a rather polarized debate when the Tidö parties put forward different proposals regarding the census. Doors would be knocked on, and every single thing would be counted, maybe even toothbrushes – who knows – as Kalle Olsson pointed out.

We are nevertheless glad that the rhetoric did not quite become reality, that it became something else that is much more reasonable and more rational. We need to ensure that there is order and tidiness in the population register and that people are not exploited on the housing market through trading of secondary market contracts and so on. We must ensure that people cannot incorrectly register themselves in other people's summer cottages. We must also ensure that people cannot gain access to benefits they are not entitled to by cheating with the population register.

On the whole, we can still conclude that the tone of the debate has not resulted in such crazy proposals from the government as we feared from our side. It is still somewhat pleasing to end the year with such a positive tone.

We are going to enter an election campaign. It will be polarized, and there are real differences that affect people's lives. But in the Swedish Riksdag, there is also another reality that does not make headlines in the evening newspapers. Sometimes many of us agree, and we pull in the same direction. In the Committee on Taxation, we have had a good tone, even when we have not agreed. I want to thank my colleagues in particular, and also the office and those of you who have kept us in order in the chamber – especially those times when the tone perhaps has not been perfect. You do a fantastic job for democracy. Thank you!

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Anders Ekegren (L)

Madam Speaker! This committee report, Extended powers for the Swedish Tax Agency within the population registration activities, is about order and clarity in the population registration and how we shall make the population registration as accurate as possible.

It is important for society and for individual individuals that the population registration is correct. The population registration is the basis for a number of rights and obligations for the individual, towards society and towards other individuals or companies.

For society, it is important that the underlying data is correct because it forms the basis for statistics, economy, and social planning in a broad sense. Incorrect information can lead to incorrect decisions in many areas. And what is worse – the data can form the basis for welfare crimes and for economic crime to spread. Crime often has the ability to stay one step ahead.

The Liberals' assessment is that it is important that we take measures to achieve a population registration that is as legally secure as possible. Skatteverket estimates that over 100,000 people are incorrectly registered, and over 20,000 people are affected by someone having registered at their address. I too have been affected by this.

Several authorities, for example the police, the Swedish Tax Agency and the Prosecution Authority, inform that it is possible to purchase incorrect address details. It is also important with correct identities. It is therefore fully reasonable that the new crime promoting incorrect civil registration is introduced. It must have consequences if someone deliberately contributes to incorrect civil registration.

We cannot be naive, especially not given that international crime is pushing ever deeper into our society. They nestle themselves here and there. Look at the examples of Attunda and Malmö district courts. They try to push their way into authorities that fall under the committee's area of responsibility, for example, the Swedish Enforcement Authority and the Swedish Tax Agency. They try to infiltrate municipal authorities – all to gain advantages. And they also contribute to people being lured here on incorrect grounds.

That is why it is important that the authorities are given good opportunities to distinguish between those who are registered in the correct place and those who do not have correct information. It requires that the authorities are given greater opportunities to, with the help of new technology, determine whether population registration offenses are present.

This means that the authorities shall be allowed to use biometric tools, for example fingerprints and facial images, to compare with the data held by Skatteverket regarding population registration and coordination numbers.

20 years ago, we would most likely not have discussed these issues in this way. But reality has changed, and then we must use the tools that are possible.

This is not my last debate today. I will also be participating in a debate in the Committee on Finance. But I want, just like everyone else, to take the opportunity to thank you for a good cooperation in the Committee on Taxation. I think we have a pleasant way of interacting. Now, the chairman of the Committee on Taxation has left the debate, but I think our chairman has handled the work in a correct and professional manner. This also applies to our vice chairman when he has served.

I would, of course, like to thank the staff in the Committee on Taxation. I have read many of your reports with great pleasure. They feel like small, interesting and well-executed legal investigations. One learns a lot of new things when reading your reports, which is enjoyable.

I would, of course, like to thank the competent Chamber Office. I believe it was Helena who said that one feels well received in the Riksdag. We receive a very professional reception at all levels. In that regard, I think the Riksdag stands out in a way that I have not encountered in the rest of society.

With this, I move for the approval of the proposal in the Committee on Taxation's report. I wish you all a happy and pleasant summer, and we shall see each other on the campaign trail in a month's time.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Boriana Åberg (M)

Madam Speaker! In my speech, I forgot to say thank you. Therefore, I would now like to correct that mistake.

Many thanks to the Chamber Office! Many thanks to the competent secretariat of the Committee on Taxation! And many thanks to all colleagues in the Committee on Taxation for your work, for the fine climate we have and for the spirited debates! I will miss them.

Have a nice summer!

(Applause)

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(Decisions were made under § 18.)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)