A united front for lower taxes, less waste, accountable government and taxpayers rights all over the world

Home

About
    Purpose
    Statutes
    News & Events
    Resolutions

Structure
    Board
    Advisory Board
    Members
    Associates

Resources
    Start a Group
    Talking Points
    Success Stories
    Tax Burdens
    Dictionary

CV

Björn Tarras-Wahlberg
Swedish office:
Strandvägen 7 B 114 56, Stockholm, Sweden
BTW@worldtaxpayers.org
Tel +46 70 325 00 11

Photo

Professional Experience

2006 - Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Taxpayers Union
Chairman since 2006 for a regional cooperation of 19 taxpayers associations from 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific area: Australia, Azerbaijan, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Philippines. Since the establishment of this regional organization in Beijing, China in 2005 three yearly meetings has been held, in Seoul, South Korea in 2006, in Shenzhen, China in 2007, and in Atlanta, USA in 2008.
2000 - Secretary General of the World Taxpayers Associations
Founder, Honorary President, and Secretary General of the World Taxpayers Associations, a confederation of 65 member associations from 45 countries on 6 continents: www.worldtaxpayers.org. WTA is a united front for lower taxes (flat rates), less government waste, accountable government, and legal right for taxpayers all over the world. Officially established in the Foreign Press Club in Washington, D.C. in 1988.
2000-2004 World Bank and SIDA consultant
Consultant to the Word Bank in East Europe and Central Asia and the Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA.
1985-2000

President Swedish Taxpayers Association
President of the Swedish Taxpayers Association and publisher of Common Sense (Sunt Förnuft) and Taxes & Welfare (Skatter & Välfärd). Deputy With 40 employees, a turnover of 50 milj SEK ($ 5 milj), assets of 200 milj SEK ($ 20 milj) and at most 186.000 members (4% of all families in Sweden) the association was one of the biggest in the world and bigger than any of the political parties. The work included lobbying, lots of speeches, writing of hundreds of articles and leadership. Deputy President Taxpayers Association of Europe.

Mr. Tarras-Wahlberg was recruited by Dr. Curt Nicolin with the task to reduce the highest income taxes in the world, from 84% to 50% (Hälften kvar – "Half part left"), which was realized in 1991.

1984-1985 Vice President Ericsson Group
Vice President in the parent company of Ericsson Group, Stockholm. Director of Marketing in Scandinavia and Finland and also responsible for political contacts in the entire company.
1974-1984 Chief Lobbyist Swedish Employers Confederation, SAF
Chief lobbyist and Government Relations Manager at the Swedish Employers Confederation, SAF (today Confederation of Swedish Enterprise), which was the biggest and most powerful business organization in Sweden. Deputy director since 1980.
1971-1973 Parliamentary Secretary Swedish Association of Free Enterprise
Secretary to 46 members of Parliament belonging to the Swedish Association of Free Enterprise (Företagareförbundet SFR). Office in Parliament. The work included the writing of private bills and speeches delivered in Parliament by the members of the non socialist parties.
1967-1968 Secretary to the Liberal-Conservative group in Parliament
Secretary to the Liberal-Conservative group in Parliament with the task to assist MPs with private bills and speeches.
   

Books Written

2006 "Taxpayer Revolution -- How to Start and Run a Taxpayers Association"
Second revised edition presented at the European Resource Bank Meeting and the World Taxpayers Associations Congress in Vienna, June 2006. Translated into English, Russian, Chinese and Indonesian.
2004 "Taxpayer Revolution -- How to Start and Run a Taxpayers Association"
Published for the World Taxpayers Associations Conference in 2004.
2003 "Individual Welfare Accounts and Flat Income Tax -- Lower Marginal Effects and Increased Economic Security"
Published in English and Russian for the World Taxpayers Conference 2003 in St. Petersburg. Co-author Mr. Robert Gidehag, President of the Swedish Taxpayers Association.
2000 "Comments From a Taxpayer"
Some of Mr. Tarras-Wahlbergs 120 editorials in the magazine "Common Sense" (Sunt Förnuft) during his 16 years as publisher and president of the Swedish Taxpayers Association, 1985-2000.
2000 "White Paper on the Property Tax and Its Consequences" (4 editions)
1996 "Lower taxes with Private Life Time Accounts"
Published by the Swedish Taxpayers Association.
1983

"Deregulate More! Costs and Effects of Regulation"
Published by the Swedish Employers Confederation, SAF.

1981 "What is the Price of Regulation?"
Published by Norstedts Publishing House.
1980 "Regulated to Death? Regulation of Business Enterprises in the 1970s -- Analysis and Effects"
Forward by the industrialist, CEO of ABB, Dr. Curt Nicolin. 241 p.
1979 "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.
1971 & 1972 "Coins from the Beginning: A Book about Coins and Their History"
A popular book about the history of coins and the collecting of coins. 128 p.
1968 "Will Monarchy Survive?"
A book that argues for the Swedish monarchy. 135 p.


Education

  MA at the University of Stockholm
Major: economics and political science. Speaks Swedish, English, German, and French. Studies in Russian and Chinese.

Grants

2007 Highest award of honor from the Swedish Order of Carpenters (Timmermans-orden) for the position as Keeper of the Coin Cabinet of the Swedish Order of Carpenters from 1967 - 2007
2005 Honored to be listed in WHO'S WHO INTERNATIONAL from 2005 (online edition, www.internationalwhoswho.com) and from 2007 (print edition)
2000 Awarded the Spanish "Order Hispanica de Carlos V" for the education and service on taxes and legislation for numerous Swedes that have moved to Spain (and France)
1992 Awarded the Dr. Curt Nicolins "Positive Sweden Prize" for "the unconventional work to inform the Swedish people about their taxes."
1981 Award of honor from the Swedish Association of Free Enterprise
1980 Grant from the foundation "The Law and the State" awarded for the two books written about legislation
1978 Grant from the Swedish Bicentennial Fund for studies in the US
1967 Experiment Ambassador Scholarship Program in US during 10 weeks awarded by the Experiment in International Living

 

Visions and Interests

 

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, mostly gentle and elegant

 


Others

 

Member of a number of Boards, chairman of The Royal Coin Cabinet; Author of numerous articles on taxes and politics; writer in Wall Street Journal Europe, etc.

His ex-wife, Mrs. Elisabeth Tarras-Wahlberg, is Marshal of the Swedish Royal Court, speech writer to H.M. the King of Sweden 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 three homes, two in Sweden -- by the waterfront, at Strandvägen 7B in the very center of Stockholm and a summer home right on the waterfront of the Baltic Sea at Dalarä, the Long Island of Stockholm, 50 km south east of Stockholm -- and a flat in the Swiss ski resort Crans-Montana, which is in the Rhon valley of Vallais, the French speaking part of Switzerland, 180 km from Geneva, 260 km from Milan, 300 km from Zürich. Mr. Tarras-Wahlberg has a Swedish passport and a Swiss registration/residence due to his frequent traveling.

 

 


Up
   

World Taxpayers Associations
Secretary General Mr. Bjorn Tarras-Wahlberg
 
E-mail: BTW@worldtaxpayers.org
Mobile: +46 70 325 00 11

For web site questions or problems,
email web@worldtaxpayers.org