Oeystein Olsen

Governor, Norges Bank

Search every verified Oeystein Olsen interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Øystein Olsen, former governor of Norges Bank and now affiliated with the think tank Civita, has spoken publicly about housing taxation and central bank independence. In a May 2026 interview on NRK, Olsen argued against heavy taxation of owner-occupied housing, stating that it makes housing more expensive and particularly affects those with moderate or lower incomes, as well as young people. He described the current direction of housing policy as a break with the approach historically pursued by the Labour Party. Olsen also said that taxing housing would not necessarily lead to more productive investments elsewhere in the economy. In a separate Civita podcast in May 2026, Olsen discussed the mandate of Norges Bank. He noted that he participated in the 2001 transition to an inflation-targeting framework and said the central bank’s primary task should remain preserving the value of money. Olsen expressed skepticism about proposals to significantly change the bank’s mandate, calling such discussions "confusing" and "not fruitful." He added that while politicians have tools to influence economic stability, they cannot control exchange rates or external shocks, and that promising interest rate cuts is "a bit much."