Perso­nal tax number ID tag soon manda­tory at shipyards

From the begin­ning of July this year, every­one working in the ship­buil­ding industry needs a perso­nal tax number ID card. This means that those working at the shipy­ard must wear a photo ID tag with their name, perso­nal tax number, emplo­yer and whet­her he or she works as an emplo­yee or entrepreneur.

The rule also covers all emplo­yees working for any subcont­rac­tor in the shipy­ard as well as inde­pen­dent entrepreneurs.

How to get this new number and card? First, regard­less of your natio­na­lity, you need a Finnish perso­nal ID number. If you do not yet have one, the tax office will give it to you. This requi­res a visit in person to any of the 18 nomi­na­ted tax offices. The proces­sing time is from one to three working days.

Your perso­nal tax number is a 12-digit string of numbers that can be found on your tax card. It does not reveal the indi­vi­dual’s age, sex or date of birth.

If you are working in the shipy­ard and do have the Finnish ID number, your emplo­yer can regis­ter your perso­nal tax number in the public regis­ter of tax numbers. You can also enter your number to the regis­ter on the Tax Admi­ni­stra­tion Omavero web pages.

After July 1st, you need the new perso­nal tax number ID tag with your photo to enter the shipy­ard. It is up to your emplo­yer to deli­ver this card and see that no one works without it. The emplo­yer must also keep a list of all those working in the shipyard.

The goal of the perso­nal tax number is to curb wage dumping and the grey economy.

The goal of the perso­nal tax number is to curb wage dumping and the grey economy. Knowing who is working where and on what condi­tions helps every­one to get the income he or she is entit­led to.

Since 2012, perso­nal tax numbers have been manda­tory for those working on construc­tion sites. Due to this, already in 2015, the total amount of paid sala­ries in the construc­tion branch grew by 300 million euro. The amount of taxes paid increa­sed by 100 million euro.

In the construc­tion industry, better tax cont­rol has led to better compe­ti­ti­ve­ness of those compa­nies that are working legitimately.

The Industrial Union welco­mes the reform. Ship­buil­ding is project-based work, where rental labour, subcont­rac­ting and foreign compa­nies are typical. Due to secu­rity reasons, shipy­ards are closed workplaces. Unions and autho­ri­ties have had difficul­ties to over­see that the terms of work in shipy­ards are decent, collec­tive agree­ments followed and tax paid.

As the expe­riences from simi­lar reform in the construc­tion industry are posi­tive, intro­ducing perso­nal tax numbers in the ship­buil­ding industry is a step forward to ensure decent working conditions.