SABATON founders Joakim Brodén and Pär Sundström have been ordered by the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax surcharges, according to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
The Swedish Tax Agency believes that Brodén and Sundström did not report their income from USA tours in 2016-2018 correctly. As a result, each one of the musicians will have to cough up a substantial amount to settle his debt.
Brodén, who writes all of the music for SABATON, is the one who is facing the biggest tax blow, having been ordered to pay back more than two million Swedish kronor (more than $233,000).
Brodén and Sundström claim to have followed the United States – Sweden Tax Treaty which covers double taxation with regards to income tax, corporation tax, and capital gains tax, and insist that they had hired experts to make sure the paperwork was filed properly. Despite this, the Swedish Tax Agency says that the accounting was not handled accurately.
Both musicians can appeal the decision.
SABATON has announced their new studio album, The War to End All Wars, which is expected to be released later this year or sometime in 2022. The band is also embarking on a U.S. tour with JUDAS PRIEST later this month. Dates and tickets can be found here.
