Today’s big topic: Thousands of homeowners paid too little and got away with it
What’s happening?
Tens of thousands of Danish homeowners have so far avoided repaying housing tax loans that fell due when they sold their homes.
The loans stem from a 2017 political deal allowing homeowners to defer tax increases until the sale of their property. But the new property valuation and tax system has been unable to collect the debt automatically.
The National Audit Office says it is unsatisfactory that the Ministry of Taxation has failed to collect 25,000 to 30,000 overdue loans. The ministry estimates the unpaid loans are worth DKK 50–65 million, though with considerable uncertainty.
Why it matters!
When some homeowners are undercharged while others are overbilled, it creates unfairness and uncertainty.That can undermine trust in the property tax system and make it harder for buyers and sellers to assess their finances.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
In other news
– First day as a teacher: Caroline, 27, meets her new class
On a rainy Monday morning, 27-year-old Caroline Laybourn arrives at Amager Fælled School for her first day as a newly qualified teacher. As the children trickle in with summer stories, snacks and questions, Caroline begins what she hopes will be the start of a long career in a profession many new teachers leave within just a few years. Read the full article here.
– Young people account for a growing share of registered bad debt
Ritzau reports that the number of people listed in Denmark’s RKI bad-debt register has continued to fall, down 2 per cent since New Year to 161,577, according to a half-year update from Experian, which runs the register. But Experian says the share of 18- to 20-year-olds in the register is rising, a trend that could make it harder for young people to take out loans and buy a car or home.
– Jonas Vingegaard’s season is over
According to Ritzau, Jonas Vingegaard will not race again in 2026 after his Tour de France collarbone fracture delayed his recovery, Team Visma has announced. The Danish rider had hoped to compete at the World Championships, but says he is now focusing instead on preparing for the 2027 season.
Talk of town: Mie warned Instagram’s owner. They sent her a coffee gift card, which felt like an attempt to silence her
What Mie Andersen saw on Instagram as a very young girl fuelled her self-harm.
In 2021, Mie Andersen met Meta’s Nordic policy chief after speaking publicly about how self-harm content on Instagram had nearly cost her her life.
She says she showed him specific accounts and images that violated Meta’s own rules and left believing the content would be removed. Five years later, the same profiles and images were still on Instagram, according to Mie Andersen.
Meta says no account names or links were shared, though it confirms harmful content was shown during the meeting. Mie Andersen, now 31 and no longer self-harming, says Instagram helped trap her in a cycle of documenting and escalating her self-harm.
Experts say such content can spread rapidly on social media, and Meta now says it is investigating material shared by Politiken.
Read the full article here.
This newsletter features stories originally published in Danish. AI was used to shorten and translate the articles into English, after which a member of the editorial staff reviewed and refined the content.