Mogens Glistrup
Encyclopedia
Mogens Glistrup (ˈmɔuns ˈɡlistʁɔp; 28 May 1926, Rønne
– 1 July 2008, Kongens Lyngby
) was a controversial Danish
politician, lawyer, and member of the Danish parliament (1973–1983 and 1987–1990) and founder of the Progress Party
.
From 1956 to 1963 Glistrup was an associate professor in tax law at the University of Copenhagen
, and after leaving the university he became the owner of one of Denmark's leading law firms. On national television in 1971 on the last day for sending in the tax return, he praised tax frauds as the freedom fighters of our time, and he displayed his own tax card with a tax rate of zero. His television appearance triggered an outrage, and Finance Minister
Poul Møller made a complaint to Danmarks Radio
, stating that they should rather have presented factual information on filling out the tax return. The government proceeded to have police and tax authorities begin an investigation into Glistrup's finances.
On 22 August 1972, Glistrup founded the Progress Party, and in the landslide election of 1973
the party gained 28 seats of 179, making it the second-largest in parliament.
Glistrup described the income tax as a remnant of the stagnant agrarian society of the past, and wanted the income tax removed over a period of seven years by gradually increasing the tax threshold. His manners in parliament were anarchistic and reckless and he displayed a grotesque sense of humour, the most famous example of which was his suggestion to replace the Ministry of Defence
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with an answering machine saying in Russian
that Denmark surrenders.
The investigation of Glistrup's economic conditions dragged on but resulted in 1983 in Glistrup being sentenced by the supreme court to three years in prison and a fine of DKK 1,000,000 and the parliament finding him unfit to be a member. The case against him was complicated and involved an extensive web of companies that only transferred money to each other. The prosecuting authority described this web of companies as fiction, to which Glistrup responded that the only fiction involved was the "fiction theory" of the prosecuting authority.
After serving the sentence, Glistrup was reelected to parliament in 1987, but he did not manage to regain his political influence on the party from Pia Kjærsgaard
, and he was expelled from the party in 1991. He was readmitted to the party in 1999 and in response the entire parliamentary group left in protest against racist and anti-Muslim statements made by Glistrup, and formed a new parliamentary group called Freedom 2000.
He died on 1 July 2008, aged 82.
Rønne
Rønne is the largest town on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,904 . Once a municipality in its own right, it is now the administrative centre of the Bornholm municipality....
– 1 July 2008, Kongens Lyngby
Kongens Lyngby
Kongens Lyngby is the main city in the affluent Danish municipality of Lyngby-Taarbæk. Just north of Copenhagen, the city lies in the northern part of Denmark's largest island, Zealand...
) was a controversial Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
politician, lawyer, and member of the Danish parliament (1973–1983 and 1987–1990) and founder of the Progress Party
Progress Party (Denmark)
The Progress Party is a political party in Denmark, which was founded in 1972. Its founder, the former lawyer Mogens Glistrup, gained huge popularity in Denmark after he appeared on Danish television, showing that he paid 0 % in income tax...
.
From 1956 to 1963 Glistrup was an associate professor in tax law at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, and after leaving the university he became the owner of one of Denmark's leading law firms. On national television in 1971 on the last day for sending in the tax return, he praised tax frauds as the freedom fighters of our time, and he displayed his own tax card with a tax rate of zero. His television appearance triggered an outrage, and Finance Minister
Finance Minister of Denmark
The Finance Minister of Denmark is the head of the Ministry of Finance of Denmark, and a member of the Cabinet. As head of the ministry, the minister has responsibility for the ministry's tasks of administrering the state finances via the fiscal policy, and making economic predictions and...
Poul Møller made a complaint to Danmarks Radio
Danmarks Radio
DR – officially rendered into English as the Danish Broadcasting Corporation – is Denmark's national broadcasting corporation. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is today Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enterprise...
, stating that they should rather have presented factual information on filling out the tax return. The government proceeded to have police and tax authorities begin an investigation into Glistrup's finances.
On 22 August 1972, Glistrup founded the Progress Party, and in the landslide election of 1973
Danish parliamentary election, 1973
Parliamentary elections were held in Denmark on 4 December 1973 and in the Faroe Islands on 13 December. It has since been referred to as the Landslide Election , as five new or previously unrepresented parties won seats, and more than half the members of the parliament were replaced...
the party gained 28 seats of 179, making it the second-largest in parliament.
Glistrup described the income tax as a remnant of the stagnant agrarian society of the past, and wanted the income tax removed over a period of seven years by gradually increasing the tax threshold. His manners in parliament were anarchistic and reckless and he displayed a grotesque sense of humour, the most famous example of which was his suggestion to replace the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Denmark)
The Ministry of Defence of Denmark is a ministry in the Danish government. It is charged with overall planning, development, and strategic guidance of the entire area of responsibility of the Danish Defence minister, including the armed forces and the emergency management sector...
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with an answering machine saying in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
that Denmark surrenders.
The investigation of Glistrup's economic conditions dragged on but resulted in 1983 in Glistrup being sentenced by the supreme court to three years in prison and a fine of DKK 1,000,000 and the parliament finding him unfit to be a member. The case against him was complicated and involved an extensive web of companies that only transferred money to each other. The prosecuting authority described this web of companies as fiction, to which Glistrup responded that the only fiction involved was the "fiction theory" of the prosecuting authority.
After serving the sentence, Glistrup was reelected to parliament in 1987, but he did not manage to regain his political influence on the party from Pia Kjærsgaard
Pia Kjærsgaard
Pia Merete Kjærsgaard is a Danish politician. She is a co-founder and current leader of the Danish People's Party, a nativist, national conservative political party in Denmark...
, and he was expelled from the party in 1991. He was readmitted to the party in 1999 and in response the entire parliamentary group left in protest against racist and anti-Muslim statements made by Glistrup, and formed a new parliamentary group called Freedom 2000.
He died on 1 July 2008, aged 82.