Foto: Fialotta Bratt

The Swedish Tax Agency at Nordbygg: Easily accessible information and support for construction contractors who want to do it right

2024-01-24
The Swedish Tax Agency has booked a stand at Nordbygg 2024 in order to meet the construction contractors on their own turf. Focussing on how to make it easier to do it right, easily accessible information is offered along with the opportunity to forge new links.

The Swedish Tax Agency will take part at Nordbygg, the largest meeting place in the Nordics for the construction and property sector, which will be held in April at Stockholmsmässan (The Stockholm Fair).

–  We know that the construction sector is an industry with a high risk of unhealthy competition. We also know that most construction contractors want to do it right. Our purpose for being at Nordbygg is to create dialogue, inform and help to convey knowledge and contacts. It should simply be easier to do it right, says Madeleine Sandquist.

Madeleine is an experienced tax advisor and is responsible for the the Swedish Tax Agency presence at the fair. She has specialised in measures designed to create conditions for the construction industry, with the goal to supply entrepreneurs with information and support to avoid unnecessary mistakes and pitfalls.

Vulnerable to unhealthy competition

The Swedish Tax Agency is aware that it can be hard to navigate everything correctly, even though you may want to. The construction industry is labour intensive and vulnerable to unhealthy competition. The government authority, along with many others, strive to create conditions to counteract this.

– Many of the errors are unintended. That’s why we want to communicate which help we can offer. We want to act as a support, rather than a deterrent, and rather inform in advance than review and control afterwards, Madeleine explains and adds:
– That way, we can allocate more of our resources to intentional errors and fraud.

Lists common challenges

– We looked at which fairs and meeting places there were, and chose Nordbygg since this large fair gives the opportunity to meet very many people at the same time, and to get our message out to the exact right target group, says Madeleine.

At Nordbygg, visitors will be able to ask questions and be guided by Madeleine herself and by several of her knowledgeable colleagues. They will address typical problems, such as how to do procurement the right way, how to assess permanent establishment for foreign companies with operations in Sweden, questions regarding staff ledgers and give advice on how to avoid pitfalls. They welcome views on improvements and ideas on how to facilitate future dialogue.
By cooperating and acting together, the construction companies themselves may contribute to strengthening the industry, decrease unhealthy competition and foster fair business practices.

Dialogue-oriented strategy

The presence of the Swedish Tax Agency at Nordbygg does not only aim to inform on rules and conditions, but also to create a positive experience and increase awareness regarding possibilities to make improvements in the long term.

– Through a dialogue-oriented strategy, we strive to have more companies, both in construction and in other industries, to discover easier and fair ways of operating their businesses. There are web seminars and video clips on the Swedish Tax Agency’s web page for those who want to delve into this in more detail, Madeleine suggests.

Meeting many people at the same time

– We are really happy that the Swedish Tax Agency has chosen Nordbygg as the arena to meet many construction entrepreneurs at the same time. We want to be precisely that sort of meeting place, which spreads knowledge that is good for both the industry and creates benefits to society at the same time, says Lina Hann, Project Manager at Nordbygg.

– We want Nordbygg a meeting place, which spreads knowledge that is good for the industry and creates benefits to society, says Lina Hann, Project Manager at Nordbygg.