From cradle to grave – literally

First, it should be pointed out that the Tax Agency does more than just collect tax. As the authority responsible for population registration (folkbokföring), it keeps track of many important events in every Swede’s life.

When a baby is born, the agency registers the birth and sends out a personal identity number. It is the Tax Agency to whom the parents then apply to register the baby’s name; yes, the Tax Agency has the power to reject their choice of name – as parents who have wanted to call their children Sickboy, Superman, Dotcom and Krank found the hard way.

When you decide to get married, between ‘will you marry me?’ and ‘I do’, there is the not-particularly-romantic matter of applying to the Tax Agency for an ‘investigation of impediments to marriage’ to prove you are eligible to tie the knot. It’s probably best not to bring this up before you pop the question.

Each time you move, you have to notify the Tax Agency of your new address within a week. And, inevitably, even in death you will be requiring its services. The doctor who declares you dead informs the Tax Agency, and your grieving relatives will need to get the ‘cremation or burial’ certificate required for the funeral from the agency before they can say their final goodbyes.