Juggling With Housing Allowances - An Examination of Prevention of Crime Against the Welfare Society (From Crime Prevention, P 195-205, 1981, Eckart Kuhlhorn and Bo Svensson, ed. - See NCJ-86454)

• NCJ Number: 86461
• Author(s): E Kuhlhorn
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 11 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; Liber Distribution Foerlagsorder
• Language: English
• Country: Sweden
• Note: Available on microfiche as NCJ-86454

Annotation

This paper explains successful control efforts against a prevalent white-collar crime in Sweden -- falsifying financial assets to obtain tax exemption and benefits from various forms of allowances provided by the welfare system. It emphasizes abuses of the housing allowance and official attempts by citizens.

Abstract

The government has authorized a trial period during which computer linkages between data submitted by citizens to different authorities for different purposes will be used to verify information consistency about their financial status. A sample of 1,000 persons aged 16-69 were surveyed regarding their opinion of this crime prevention measure. Of the respondents, 94 percent thought it proper that authorities make checks on citizen statements of income and 87 percent of those receiving housing allowances were of the same opinion; 91 percent expected such checks to improve citizen scrupulousness in reporting income. In 2 years of program implementation, 2.7 percent of housing recipients were found to be reporting their incomes fraudulently in the first year and 1.2 percent in the second year. A preventive effect is evident; this program demonstrates the crime preventive gains to be made through direct changes in the crime opportunity structure. Tabular data and four notes are given.