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December 19th, 2012

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Bad karma for car tax
A pending decision by the national tax courts concerning the taxation of environmentally friendly cars could lead to a repeal of the tax on hybrid cars. The importer of the Danish-designed Fisker Karma hybrid has asked the taxation courts for a decision concerning when a car is environmentally friendly enough to be exempt from car taxes, as electric cars are now. According to Skat, the tax authority, tax exemption only exists for cars that are 100 percent electric, and not for hybrid cars like the Fisker Karma. Only 1,500 electric cars have been registered under the current  tax exemption. – Berlingske

Swiss loans draining council coffers
Despite heavy loses and a ban on the practice ten months ago, 26 of the nation’s 98 councils are still carrying Swiss loans. Just this year alone, 22 councils have paid off or reorganised the expensive Swiss franc loans and 12 of the councils have suffered exchange rate losses of 210 million kroner. The loans were banned in February but councils were not forced to drop the loans immediately. Instead, the councils have been able to decide themselves whether they wanted to quit the loans or keep them in hopes of minimising their losses. The rule change means that in future, councils can only take loans in kroner or in euro. Nearly six billion kroner worth of Swiss francs was borrowed by Danish councils. The massive losses were largely due to the financial crisis. – Politiken

Long-term unemployed not getting jobs
The first wave of jobs set aside for those who stand to lose their uemployment benefits on January 1 when new regulations take effect are going to other groups of unemployed, according to a survey by Jyllands-Posten newspaper. Of the 100 positions examined, 41 vacancies were filled by the long-term unemployed who were supposed to benefit from the so-called 'acute jobs'. That is far less than the 12,500 jobs that PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Socialdemokraterne) indicated were needed to help people who would lose unemployment benefit rights at year's end. In a number of regions, the long-term unemployed are not among the majority landing the jobs set aside for them. In mid-Jutland, just two out of 75 acute jobs have gone to long-term unemployed. According to statistics from Arbejdsmarkedsstyrelsen, the employment market regulator, 36,000 Danes risk being kicked out of unemployment benefit system in the first half of 2013. – Jyllands-Posten

Brøndby teetering on bankruptcy 
One of Denmark’s biggest football clubs is on the brink of bankruptcy. During an internal Brøndby club meeting, organised to discuss the lack of support for sporting director Tommy Håkansson, Brøndby deputy chairman Benny Winter, who is also one of the club's prime financial backers, said the club's future was hanging by a thread. Brøndby is expected to present a plan today that will attempt to secure its future. A plan involving former managing director Frank Buch Andersen and a guaranteed 150 million kroner investment recently fell through. The embattled club was also ordered by the Danish football association, DBU, to play two games without spectators after the recent pitch invasion by their fans. – Ekstrabladet

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Cloudy with the chance of flurries. Highs around 1 C. Overnight lows falling to -4 C.