Minister Resigns as Charges Tarnish Swedish Cabinet - New York Times

Minister Resigns as Charges Tarnish Swedish Cabinet - New York Times: "STOCKHOLM, Oct. 14 (Reuters) — Sweden’s trade minister, Maria Borelius, has resigned after only a week in office over media reports accusing her of tax evasion, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said Saturday.

The Reinfeldt cabinet’s first week in office has been one of mounting embarrassment as several of its members have admitted not paying taxes and other mandatory fees. Tax evasion is not uncommon among Swedes, who face one of the highest tax burdens in the world, but it is deplored when practiced by politicians.

The Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter carried the headline “The Nightmare Starts” on Saturday to describe the first days of the government that ousted the Social Democrats last month and promised a clean break from years of left-of-center administrations.

“I talked with Maria this morning and she herself felt that she did not have the strength to go on, and we agreed that she would resign,” Mr. Reinfeldt said in a radio interview.

Shortly after Ms. Borelius was appointed a minister in Sweden’s new center-right cabinet, Swedish media said she had employed a nanny without paying taxes or other fees." Read complete post here.