Tax on gambling

The plan says nothing about gambling or gambling tax. The closest principle is restrictive regulation of harmful products, where the party highlights collective ownership as a way to set a thoughtful framework for private companies around complex problems. Differentiating the tax to dampen gambling risk is in line with that principle, while the proposal's business-policy motives have no support in the documents.

• restrictive regulation of harmful productsdecisive»Vi vill se en restriktiv reglering av alkohol och tobak.« (party programme ↗)“We want to see restrictive regulation of alcohol and tobacco.”
• thoughtful framework for private actors»är ett bra exempel på hur vi genom gemensamt ägande kan ta ansvar för komplexa problem« (party programme ↗)“is a good example of how through collective ownership we can take responsibility for complex problems”
• the countryside should not be impoverished»Oavsett var i landet vi bor så har vi ett gemensamt intresse av att landsbygden inte utarmas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“No matter where in the country we live we have a shared interest in the countryside not being impoverished.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan says nothing about the design of gaming tax. The closest principle is a tax system with broad tax bases that provides room for welfare, which speaks against differentiating the tax in favour of a single industry. Restraining gambling addiction is indeed close to the plan's public health goals, but it does not support the demand for a differentiated tax rate.

• broad tax basesdecisive»Robust, hållbart och rättvist skattesystem med breda skattebaser som ger ökat utrymme« (party programme ↗)“Robust, sustainable and fair tax system with broad tax bases that provide increased room”
• equal public health»Jämlik och jämställd folkhälsa.« (party programme ↗)“Equal and gender-equal public health.”
• vibrant countryside»Landsbygdspolitik för utveckling och välstånd i hela landet.« (party programme ↗)“Rural policy for development and prosperity throughout the country.”

The plan says nothing about the design of gambling tax or about the conditions for horse racing. The closest principle is that society should reduce factors that lead to poor health and that taxes should be used as steering instruments and to finance welfare; a differentiated tax rate that curbs gambling is in line with that. The conclusion rests entirely on derivation and is therefore uncertain.

• prevent poor healthdecisive»Miljöpartiet vill vända utvecklingen genom att både minska faktorer som leder till ohälsa och stärka skyddsfaktorerna.« (party programme ↗)“the Greens wants to reverse the development by both reducing factors that lead to poor health and strengthening protective factors.”
• tax as distribution instrument»Vårt skattesystem ska verka för att utjämna de ekonomiska klyftorna och säkra en långsiktigt hållbar finansiering av välfärden.« (party programme ↗)“Our tax system should work to reduce economic disparities and ensure sustainable long-term financing of welfare.”
• order on the gambling market»svartklubbar och gästarbetarbostäder utan bygglov, restauranger som missköter hygien, skattebrott och varenda spelautomat som saknar tillstånd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“illegal clubs and migrant housing without building permits, restaurants that neglect hygiene, tax crimes and every gambling machine that lacks a license.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan doesn't address gambling tax. The closest commitments are not to participate in tax increases that harm jobs and to lower total tax pressure, as well as to value industries that create jobs and tourism throughout the country. A preventive public health perspective also speaks for restraining gambling risk. Altogether the closest principles point toward support for a differentiated tax rate.

• no job-harming tax increasesdecisive»Vi kommer inte att medverka till några skattehöjningar som skadar jobben, det egna sparandet eller gör det dyrare att bo.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We will not participate in any tax increases that harm jobs, personal savings or make housing more expensive.”
• lower total tax pressure»Vi ska sänka det totala skattetrycket och skapa stabilitet i statsfinanserna genom att hushålla med skattebetalarnas pengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall lower total tax pressure and create stability in public finances by being careful with taxpayers' money.”
• industries throughout the country»Besöksnäringen har stor betydelse för hela landets utveckling« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tourism is of great importance for the development of the whole country”
• preventive public health»Folkhälsoperspektivet måste genomsyra hela samhället för att ge resultat.« (party programme ↗)“The public health perspective must permeate all of society to produce results.”

The documents do not address gaming tax, so the position is derived from the nearest principle: the tax system shall be as simple and transparent as possible and rules shall protect competition on equal terms. A differentiated tax rate designed in favor of a single industry goes in the opposite direction. The plan's line on evidence-based addiction policy does speak to preventing problem gambling, but does not support the requirement for an industry-adapted tax rate.

• simple and neutral tax systemdecisive»Skattepolitiken ska gynna de välståndsbildande krafterna, vara så enkel och transparent som möjligt« (party programme ↗)“Tax policy should favor wealth-creating forces, be as simple and transparent as possible”
• competition on equal terms»Lagar och regler ska slå vakt om äganderätt, konkurrens på lika villkor« (party programme ↗)“Laws and rules shall guard ownership rights, competition on equal terms”
• evidence-based addiction policy»Beroende ska bekämpas med en fungerande, evidensbaserad vård.« (party programme ↗)“Addiction should be combated with functional, evidence-based healthcare.”

The plan explicitly uses price policy and restrictive legislation as tools to reduce harms from risk behavior, and sees taxes as a means to steer development, not merely to finance. A differentiated gambling tax that restrains risk gambling follows that logic, and the plan moreover wants to facilitate differentiated rural business such as horse farming. The gambling tax is not treated in the documents, so the conclusion is derived.

• price policy against harmsdecisive»prispolitik, försäljningsmonopol och en restriktiv lagstiftning« (party programme ↗)“price policy, sales monopolies and restrictive legislation”
• taxes can steer»Syftet med skatter är att finansiera offentliga utgifter, styra den ekonomiska utvecklingen« (party programme ↗)“The purpose of taxes is to finance public expenditure, to steer economic development”
• rural livelihoods»Även differentierat landsbygdsföretagande ska underlättas.« (party programme ↗)“Differentiated rural business activity must also be facilitated.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan says nothing about gaming tax or horse racing. The nearest principle is that the tax system shall become simpler and taxes competitive and free from unnecessary hassle, which speaks against differentiating the effective tax rate by form of gaming. The plan's tax-hike cap admittedly pulls in the opposite direction, but the overarching commitment to a simpler tax system means that the requirement for differentiation is not supported.

• simpler tax systemdecisive»Ska det ske måste skattesystemet bli enklare, och bolags-, kunskaps- och kapitalskatter vara konkurrenskraftiga och uppmuntra till investeringar i Sverige.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Should it happen the tax system must become simpler, and corporate, knowledge and capital taxes must be competitive and encourage investments in Sweden.”
• reduced regulatory hassle»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove a third of companies' administrative costs and a third of regulatory hassle”
• no raised taxes»Införa ett skattehöjarstopp under den kommande mandatperioden som innebär att de samlade skatterna inte höjs« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a tax-hike cap during the coming term period that means total taxes are not raised”

The plan says nothing about gambling tax or its design. The closest principles are that taxes should not hamper Swedish businesses in competition, that the whole country should share in prosperity and that the sports movements should be given conditions for continued vitality. Based on these, overwhelming reasons speak for the counter-proposal's requirement for a differentiated gambling tax that protects horse racing's revenues and jobs.

• taxes that do not hamper businessesdecisive»Ha skatter på en nivå som inte hämmar svenska företag i den internationella konkurrensen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Have taxes at a level that does not hamper Swedish businesses in international competition”
• vital sports movement»Ge idrottsrörelserna förutsättningar till fortsatt livskraft« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give the sports movements conditions for continued vitality”
• jobs throughout the country»Låta hela landet få del av välstånd« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Let the whole country share in prosperity”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.