Finance Minister Releases Tax Information To Public

Numerous party leaders have made their financial information public, and the Finance Minister has now joined those ranks.

The ongoing Panama Papers story has raised many questions about the financial activities of Iceland’s political leadership. This is especially the case as Iceland’s former Prime Minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, was directly implicated in the leak, as have been Minister of Finance Bjarni Benediktsson and Minister of the Interior Ólöf Nordal.

Opposition party leadership were the first to respond to public demands for greater financial transparency. Social Democrat chairperson Árni Páll Árnason and Left-Green chairperson Katrín Jakobsdóttir have already made their tax returns public.

Vísir reports that Minister of Finance Bjarni Benediktsson has now done the same. Furthermore, a statement from Árni Snæbjörnsson, an accountant at Ernst & Young, attests that Falson & Co – Bjarni’s former company in the Seychelles that was brought to light by the Panama Papers leak – was reported on his tax returns.

Pirate Party captain Birgitta Jónsdóttir has also released her tax information, with the addendum that she hopes Sigmundur – who is still chairperson of the Progressive Party – will do the same.

For more on this continuing story, follow our Panama Papers tag on Grapevine.is/news.