The Swedish National Tax Board, Skatteverket, has refused to acknowledge the existence of the six-month-old daughter of couple Michael and Karolina Tomaro, of Stockholm, because they decided to name their child Metallica.
The Tomaros argue that since their child was already baptized as Metallica (and that there is already a woman in Sweden whose middle name is Metallica), they shouldn’t have to change the name, and enlisted the help of the County Administrative Court in nearby Goteborg, which sided with them. However, Skatteverket appealed to a higher court, saying that the name was “ugly”, and was associated with both the rock group and the word “metal.”
Still, the couple says that they’ll fight as hard as they have to to keep their baby’s name Metallica, whom they named after their favorite band. Why Metallica would be anyone’s favorite band—especially after the last decade or so—is anyone’s guess, but due to the issue with Skatteverket, the couple has been unable to attain a passport for little Metallica, and are unable to travel out of the country with her as a result.
See, this is a like killing two birds with one stone. While I do support the freedom to name your kid whatever the hell you want, just think of what this poor kid is going to be feeling when she’s older, if she doesn’t end up liking Metallica. That would really suck. Plus, all infants should be denied passports anyway, because everyone hates travelling when there’s a screaming brat on the plane/train/bus/catamaran/etc.
Cheers
-JF2k7!
