Breakdown of Skattstofninn og tekjuskatturinn hækka.
og
and
hækka
to rise
tekjuskatturinn
the income tax
skattstofninn
the tax base
Questions & Answers about Skattstofninn og tekjuskatturinn hækka.
Why do both nouns have endings like -inn and -urinn?
Those endings are the suffixed definite article in Icelandic. Instead of putting a separate word like the before the noun, Icelandic usually attaches definiteness to the end of the noun.
So:
- skattstofn = tax base
- skattstofninn = the tax base
and
- tekjuskattur = income tax
- tekjuskatturinn = the income tax
So the sentence is talking about the tax base and the income tax, not just tax base and income tax in general.
Why is it skattstofninn in one case but tekjuskatturinn in the other?
Because the base nouns are different, and Icelandic definite endings change depending on the noun’s form.
The indefinite forms are:
- skattstofn
- tekjuskattur
When made definite in the nominative singular:
- skattstofn → skattstofninn
- tekjuskattur → tekjuskatturinn
A noun ending in -ur often becomes -urinn when definite in this form. A noun without that -ur ending may simply take -inn.
So this is not random; it reflects normal noun inflection.