Income- and Property Statistics, 1986, household level data

Statistics Norway conducted comprehensive Income and Property Statistics in 1958, 1962, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1979 and 1982. From 1984 Statistics Norway went over to a system of annual surveys, the change was mainly on sample size and selection issues, and little of what information is collected. The information is largely determined by what is available in public tax data. Income surveys are not considered as a regular sample survey, they are based on a sample drawn from the tax agency's records. This means that foreign nationals are included if they are registered in the Central Register, and they will normally be if they have work and residence permit. Children born during the year is included regardless of date of birth and the same goes for people who died during the year. The purpose of the Income and Property Statistics has been to assess the income situation for the whole population and for different groups. A main point is to generate statistics on cost households, i.e. households who live and eat together, and to provide an overview of the distribution of persons and households by income size, socio-economic grouping, household type, geography, etc. Another main point is to collect income and wealth data as background forthe Income and Property Statistics. In the years after 1992, after the reform of the rax system, it was considered important to gather information in order to study the effects of the reform, also for self-employed, and a larger syrvey was integrated of such matters in particular. Information on all forms of income, wealth, tax, disposable income for individuals and households are collected. Some information is linked from other registers, for example information on marital status and family composition, while information on household composition are obtained through interviews. Family is a narrower term than household, a family may consist of single, unmarried father or mother with children, or married couples with or without children. A household on the other hand, includes all people who live and eat together and can therefore consist of several families. Experience shows, however, that approximately 90% of all households consist of only one family (see Notater 98/11 SSB 1998: Inntekts- og formuesundersøkelsen 1995). Tax-free income, such as benefits of a distinctly social character, gifts and prizes fall outside due to tax rules. Rules for the percent of property tax assessment, valuation of benefits in kind, personal withdrawals, depreciation etc, also creates some problems. In addition to the pure tax information information on such as education, occupation and income for individuals and for the household: the composition, type and who is the main income earner is invluded. This data is linked to, among else, data from the Education Register, the State Educational Loan Fund, Housing, Social Affairs (social assistance) and the National Insurance Administration.