Dance bands are also culture, argue those active in the dance band industry who have joined forces in a joint appeal.
This is an issue we've been fighting for since the 90s, says Lasse Lundberg, bandleader of the dance band Blender.
The background to the appeal is a disputed VAT rate. At cultural events such as concerts, theater, or ballet performances, tickets are sold with a VAT rate of 6 percent per ticket. At dance band events where people dance to the music, the VAT rate on entrance tickets instead goes up to 25 percent per ticket.
In the industry, it's called the "dance band VAT", and several Swedish dance bands are critical.
I have a hard time understanding it. Dancing to music is culture, and dance bands are a cultural heritage in Sweden, says Lasse Lundberg.
The high VAT rate makes it, among other things, harder for organizers to arrange dance band events, according to Lundberg, which in the long run can threaten the survival of dance band culture.
During the pandemic, bands and organizers in the industry received support from the Cultural Council. For Lundberg, the appeal is about now being recognized as cultural activities.
It's about fairness. We are also culture, and it's about time we're treated as such, he says.
