I was amazed the first time I experienced "Tax Day" in Sweden, the long lines of people handing in their tax declarations at the last moment - the streets would thick with traffic, people driving by the mighty taxation building Skatteskrapan, the only skyskraper on Söder, handing their declaration to staff standing on the street.
There would be music, stands selling hotdogs and who knows what else - you could almost be mistaken for thinking it was a festival. Are the Swedes so happy to pay tax?

Nowdays the Swedish National Tax Board is located in newer, more modern offices a block or so away from the skyskraper. Nowdays this highrise is the home of 600 or so students with the best view of Stockholm, shops, bars and restaurants.

The Tax Board have not only more modern offices but their ways of working have modernised over the years too.  There was a time when tax day was February 15th, when the streets were covered in snow and the queues miles long as the majority of Stockholmers not only left it to the last day by hundreds handed it in at the last minute. With the deadline being midnight there were people on Götgatan all night long. The orchestras were playing, the magicians doing their tricks, and the hotdog carts and glögg (warm, spiced, alcohol free wine) stands making the most of late night customers. 

Since the good ol' days we first saw the introduction of pre-printed declarations that require little more than a signature, and then the introduction of the telephone, the internet and the sms declarations!! Each year it gets easier. I can't help but wonder if there is anywhere else in the world where you can do your tax declaration with an SMS? Is there anywhere else in the world where the government knows your every move to the extent that no other information is needed? Just your consent. Big brother is indeed watching....

Gone are the days of filling in paper forms, especially for those with few changes to make. Anyone is able to submit their declaration online - all you need is your national identity number and the code printed on your tax declaration, enabling you to make a couple of basic changes to the form.

E-legitimation (or e-ID) on the other hand opens up a whole range of opportunities. E-ID is a certificate downloaded off the net onto your computer and in conjunciton with your internet banking password it enables you to identify yourself when dealing with many of the government institutions. I'm sure it sends shivers down the spines of all the internet-security-skeptics but it requires the user to have both the downloaded certificate and the password.

So with my e-ID I am not only able to go in and fill out all the forms electronically but I could save them and go back and make changes. What's more I can still go back and make changes up until June something - but then there is no guarantee of getting your return back before Midsummer. But it takes away the panic - as long as you submitted it by May 3rd you can procrastinate a little longer.....

I find it fairly easy to navigate my way through the pages and appendixes and fill in all the required information, including all those required for someone running a small business - not bad for someone who used to have a phobia about tax declarations!!

It was estimated that as many as 500,000 would submit their declarations electronically on Sunday, putting a lot of stress on a system with limited capacity. According to last years figures there was a record number of internet users but only some 857 000 had actually used e-ID by Sunday night, so the overall figures were under the anticipated 60% and much lower that the long term goal of 80% of tax declarations to be submitted electronically. I can't help but wonder how long it will be before they stop sending out the paper declarations?

As Lars Epstein says: The party on Söder on tax day is over. Click on this photo to see his photos of the deserted streets. The party it well and truly over!