A name mix-up at the Tax Agency had unforeseen consequences.
When a man living in Stockholm discovered that his bank card was not working, he went to the Tax Agency’s service office to get help. The error turned out to be due to the fact that the man had been declared dead and therefore de-registered in the civil registry, reports the Siren news agency.
“Serious error”
The error turned out to be due to a death in Finland. The Tax Agency received information that a Finnish man without a Swedish social security number had died. But instead, the Swedish man with the same name was entered in the diary and the death was registered in the civil registry on December 7, 2023. The error was discovered the following day.
Now the Chancellor of Justice has decided that the man should be compensated with SEK 20,000.
“The incorrect registration constitutes a serious error intended for a very privacy-sensitive area. The error has also caused the applicant not insignificant
inconveniences”, the decision states.
Missed the first Christmas with the grandson
But the compensation is lower than what the man requested – who considers himself entitled to SEK 50,000. He states that the error caused both unnecessary costs and stress. In addition, he was forced to cancel his planned trip to the United States and therefore missed his first Christmas together with his grandson.
The Tax Agency has admitted that the incorrect registration is grounds for damages and that compensation should be granted in a reasonable amount. They also regret what happened.