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CV
Bjorn Tarras-Wahlberg
BTW@worldtaxpayers.org
Sweden
+46 (0) 70 325 00 11
Thailand
+66 (0) 8 1101 4271
Photo
Professional
Experience
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2006-Present
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Chairman,
Asia-Pacific Taxpayers Unions
Principal
Officer and leader of 20 taxpayers associations from 13 countries in the
Asia-Pacific area: Australia,
Azerbaijan, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand. Since the
establishment of this regional organization in Beijing, China in 2005
five meetings have been held, in Seoul, South Korea (2006), in Shenzhen,
China (2007), in Atlanta, USA (2008), in Singapore (2009), in London
(2010) and in Bangkok (2011).
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2000 - 2006
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Secretary
General, World Taxpayers Associations
Founder,
Honorary President and primary ambassador of a confederation of 66 member
associations from 55 countries on 6 continents: www.worldtaxpayers.org,
a united front for lower taxes (flat rates), less government waste,
accountable government, and legal rights for taxpayers all over the
world. Officially established at the Foreign Press Club in Washington,
DC, September 1988.
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2000 - 2004
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Consultant,
World Bank and Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)
Advisor
on economic and fiscal policy to World Bank with operations in East
Europe and Central Asia and to SIDA, in the same area; most efforts
conducted in Ukraine and Russia.
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1985 - 2000
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President,
Swedish Taxpayers Association
Leader of Sweden's
taxpayer group and publisher of Common Sense with a
circulation of more than 200.000 copies (Sunt Fornuft) and Taxes & Welfare (Skatter & Valfard).
With 40 employees, a cash flow of 50 million SEK ($5 million), assets of
200 million SEK ($20 million) and at its peak 186.000 members (4%
of all families in Sweden) the association grew to become one of the
biggest in the world and bigger than any of the Swedish political
parties. The work included lobbying, speechmaking, writing of hundreds of
articles, plus leadership. Honorary Deputy President of Taxpayers
Association of Europe.
Mr. Tarras-Wahlberg was recruited by Dr. Curt Nicolin (former CEO of Asea
Brown Boveri, ABB, SAS etc.) with the task to reduce the
highest income taxes in the world, which was achieved in 1991 from the
level of 84% down to 50%
('Halften
kvar,'
or 'Half part left').
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1984 - 1985
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Vice President, Ericsson Telecom Group
Vice
President in the parent company of Ericsson Group, Stockholm. Director of
Marketing for Scandinavia and Finland; was also responsible for political
contacts in the entire company of 135,000 employees.
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1974 - 1984
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Chief Lobbyist, Swedish Employers Confederation
(SAF)
Vice
President, Chief lobbyist and Government Relations Manager at SAF (today
Confederation of Swedish Enterprise), which was the biggest and most
powerful business organization in Sweden. Deputy Director in SAF since
1980. Published three books during this time: Legislation to Death,
What is the Cost of Regulation? and Deregulate
More!
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1971 - 1973
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Parliamentary Secretary, Swedish Association of
Free Enterprise
Secretary
to 46 members of Parliament belonging to the Swedish Association of Free
Enterprise (Foretagareforbundet, SFR, today Foretagarna, FR). Office in Parliament. The work
included the writing of private bills and speeches delivered in
Parliament by the members of the non-socialist parties.
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1967 - 1968
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Secretary to the Conservative group in Parliament
Provided
all aspects of administrative support to assist MPs with private bills
and speeches.
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Official
Decorations
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2011
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Order of Yaroslav
the Wise given by the President of Ukraine, Mr. Victor Janukovych to Mr. Tarras-Wahlberg
for his contributions of the development of Ukraine since 2001. (Style of
knight, kavaler, and class three, given to
ministers and ambassadors).
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2007
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Highest award of honor from the
Swedish Order of Carpenters (Timmermansorden)
for the position as Keeper (Director) of the Coin Cabinet, 1967-2007.
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2002
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Gold Medal from the
Spanish Charles V Order (Order Hispanica de
Carlos V).
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2000
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Grand Officer from
the Spanish Charles V Order (Order Hispanica de
Carlos V).
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1981
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Gold
Medal from the Swedish Association of Free Enterprise (Foretagareforbundet), today the Swedish Federation of
Business Owners.
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Grants
and Awards
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2005
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Honored to be listed in WHO'S WHO
INTERNATIONAL since 2005 (on Internet, www.internationalwhoswho.com)
and from 2007 (the printed version).
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1992
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Awarded Dr. Curt Nicolin's "Positive Sweden Prize" for "unconventional
work to inform the Swedish people about their taxes."
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1980
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Award of Honor from the Swedish
Association of Free Enterprise.
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1979
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Grant from the foundation "The
Law and the State"; awarded for two books written about legislation.
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1978
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Grant from the Swedish
Bicentennial Fund for studies of lobbying in the USA.
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1967
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Ambassador
Scholarship Program in USA for 10 weeks; awarded by the Experiment in International
Living.
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12
Books and 250 Articles Published
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2006
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Taxpayer
Revolution - How to Start and Operate a Taxpayers Association. Second
revised edition as report for the European Resource Bank Meeting and the
World Taxpayers Associations conference in Vienna. Translated into
English, Russian, Chinese and Indonesian. 22 p.
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2004
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Taxpayer
Revolution - How to Start and Run a Taxpayers Association. Published
for the World Taxpayers Associations conference. 22 p.
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2003
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Individual
Welfare Accounts and Flat Income Tax - Lower Marginal Effects and
Increased Economic Security. Published in English (27 p.) and
Russian (32 p.) for the World Taxpayers Conference in St. Petersburg.
Co-authored with Mr. Robert Gidehag, today
President of the Swedish Taxpayers Association.
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2000
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Comments from
a Taxpayer.
A selection of Mr. Tarras-Wahlberg's 120
editorials in the magazine Common Sense (Sunt
Fornuft) during his 16 years as publisher and
President of the Swedish Taxpayers Association, 1985-2000. 38 p.
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2000
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White Paper on
the Swedish Property Tax and Its Consequences. Published by
the Swedish Taxpayers Association, 4 editions.
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1996
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Lower
Taxes with Private Lifetime Accounts. Published by the Swedish
Taxpayers Association. 65 p.
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1983
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Deregulate More! Costs and Effects of
Regulation.
Published by the Swedish Employers Confederation. 57 p.
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1981
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What is the
Price of Regulation? Published by Norstedts
Publishing Co. 42 p.
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1980
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The Monarchy
in Sweden.
Published by the Swedish Institute in English and Spanish. Together with
Jorgen Weibull, Professor of History and Carl-Fredrik Palmstierna,
Private Secretary to King Gustaf VI Adolf. 25 p.
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1980
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Legislation to
Death? Regulation of Business Enterprises in the 1970s - Analysis and
Effects.
Foreword by the industrialist, CEO of ABB, Dr. Curt Nicolin.
241 p.
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1979
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Business
lobbying in the US. Report to the Swedish Institute for the grant
given by the Swedish Bicentennial Fund for the relations between Sweden
and the USA. Published by the Swedish Employers Confederation. 22 p.
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1971 & 1972
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Coins from the
Beginning.
A popular book about the history of coins and the collecting of coins.
Printed in more than 10,000 copies. 128 p.
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1968
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Will
Monarchy Survive? A book that argues for the Swedish monarchy. Together with Dr. Kjell Treslow. 135 p.
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Author
of 250 articles on taxes and politics; including Wall Street Journal
Europe.
Visions
and Interests
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Mr.
Bjorn Tarras-Wahlberg's political vision and
work has always been to reduce the power of the politicians and give it
back to the people.
He is a multicultural person with many interests: Culture and languages,
politics and economics, numismatics and history, music and dancing,
fashion and beauty. He is energetic and hardworking, kind, very sociable
and interested in people, and as people say, gentle, polite and elegant.
He loves everything that is beautiful.
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Other
Biographical Details
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Chairman of the Royal Coin Cabinet Society from 1995, where
H.M. the King of Sweden is the patron; the oldest museum in Sweden from 1570,
opposite the Royal Palace in the center of Stockholm. He has collected
coins since he was 12 years old and has been a lifetime member of the
Swedish Numismatic Association since he was 14; keeper of Timmermansordens Coin Cabinet for 40 years. His
popular book about coins in 1991 attracted the attention of burglars and
his coin collection was stolen.
Married
2010 in Bangkok to Panchanok Phatheethin, TV host
and reporter for Thai Channel 5 (for 10 years to present), radio host on
Bangkok FM 100 (for 20 years to present). Bachelor of Public Administration, Master of Mass Communication.
Ex wife Mrs. Elisabeth Tarras-Wahlberg, former Marshal of the Royal Swedish Court,
speechwriter to H.M. the King of Sweden for 20 years and Mentor to H.R.H.
Crown Princess Victoria. They have two daughters, Filippa,
born in 1984 and Louisa, born in 1988.
Mr. Tarras-Wahlberg
has homes in Switzerland, Sweden and Thailand.
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