ABBA Star Appeals Tax Demand

Former ABBA member Bjorn Ulvaeus will appeal against a $11.6 million tax demand, according to Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.

Ulvaeus lawyer Sven Rygaard told the paper that he was “pretty convinced” that he’d win.

“We will explain to the tax authority how this was done. I don’t think they have managed to understand how this has worked.”

As far as the Swedish tax authority is concerned, the way it has worked is that Ulvaeus signed a series of contracts before moving to England in 1984, handing over the rights to his royalties from ABBA songs and the musical “Chess” to different companies.

But the tax inspectors say the contracts are a sham and that Ulvaeus still had access to the money. And he should have included it in his returns as personal income.

The tax authority ruling concerns returns filed between 1998 and 2003.

Ulvaeus was part of the Swedish group in the 1970s and 1980s, and has since written several musicals together with fellow ABBA member Benny Andersson.

– John Gammon