Kjell Inge Rokke, one of Norway's wealthiest individuals and a driving force behind several key seafood companies, announced Monday he would move to Switzerland.
The move was met with shock across Norway, where Rokke has played an important role in developing several major companies via his Aker Group, including Aker Seafoods (later absorbed into Leroy Seafood Group), Aker Biomarine, and most recently, offshore salmon farming venture Salmar Aker Ocean.
Rokke has an estimated net worth of NOK 19.6 billion ($2 billion/€2 billion).
Analysts and Norwegian press outlets speculate Rokke's move is related to a new so-called "wealth tax."
In 2020, he paid NOK 175 million ($17.8 million/€17.5 million) in tax. Since 2008, Rokke has paid NOK 1.5 billion ($150 million/€150 million) in tax.
Rokke's empire first began in Seattle, Washington, with the founding of Alaska pollock harvesting group American Seafoods.
In 1997, at the age of 42, he returned to Norway and established the RGI group, merging it with industrial group Aker.
Aker companies posted revenues of over NOK 75 billion ($7.6 billion/€7.5 billion) in 2020. The company has around 28,000 employees. Approximately 18,000 of these work in Norway.
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