Increased basic deduction

The plan establishes that tax shall not be raised for ordinary wage earners but on multi-millionaires, luxury villas and large capital gains, and that one shall be able to live on one's pension and not just survive. A raised age limit for the increased basic deduction is precisely a tax increase for older people with ordinary incomes. Rolling back the change thus aligns with the plan's redistribution policy.

• raise tax on capital, not on ordinary peopledecisive»Vi vill inte höja skatten för vanliga löntagare utan på mångmiljonarv, lyxvillor och stora aktievinster som man inte ens behöver jobba för« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We do not want to raise tax for ordinary wage earners but on multi-millionaires, luxury villas and large capital gains that you do not even have to work for”
• secure finances as an older person»När du blir gammal ska du kunna leva på din pension, inte bara överleva« (2022 manifesto ↗)“When you grow old you shall be able to live on your pension, not just survive”
• political responsibility for elderly finances»Att det finns fattigpensionärer i Sverige beror på pensioner som beslutats politiskt« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That there are poor pensioners in Sweden is due to pensions decided politically”
• tax according to ability»Vänsterpartiet har en skattepolitik som ser till vilka behov som finns och där de med stora kapitaltillgångar eller höga löner får bidra mer till välfärden än de gör idag« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party has a tax policy that looks at what needs there are and where those with large capital resources or high incomes contribute more to welfare than they do today”

The plan's promise is that pensions shall be raised as a matter of respect for those who have worked, and that those hardest hit by price increases shall receive targeted support. A raised age limit that imposes a sharp tax increase on 112,000 older people goes in the opposite direction to this and to the principle that tax is levied according to ability to pay. The plan does not state a position on the age limit for the basic deduction, so the conclusion is derived.

• raised pensionsdecisive»Pensionerna ska höjas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Pensions shall be raised.”
• strengthened finances for pensioners»Vi vill se höjda pensioner, billigare arbetsresor för dem som har långt till jobbet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to see raised pensions, cheaper work journeys for those who have far to travel to work”
• targeted support for price increases»Med riktade och smarta stöd kan vi stötta människor utan att driva på inflationen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With targeted and smart support we can support people without driving up inflation.”
• tax by ability to pay»Skatterna ska vara progressiva och tas ut efter bärkraft« (party programme ↗)“Taxes shall be progressive and levied according to ability to pay”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation 11.7 per cent per annum — erodes pensioners' purchasing power and strengthens the plan's demand for targeted support instead of tax increases for older people

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 wants to raise pensions, especially for those with the lowest pensions, and establishes that no elderly person should be without a pension they can live on and that those with the fewest resources should pay lower taxes. A significant tax increase for 65-year-olds goes against this, particularly with inflation over eleven per cent. However, the plan does not take a position on the age limit in the increased basic allowance.

• raised pensionsdecisive»höja garantipensionen och reformera pensionssystemet med syfte att höja pensionerna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“raise the guaranteed pension and reform the pension system with the aim of raising pensions”
• lower taxes for those with least»De med minst resurser ska få mer samhällsservice, lägre skatt och mer stöd i omställningen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Those with the fewest resources should receive more social services, lower taxes and more support in the transition”
• pension to live on»inte en enda äldre stå utan en pension som går att leva på« (2022 manifesto ↗)“not a single elderly person to be without a pension they can live on”
• strengthened pensioner economy»höja bostadsbidraget för barnfamiljer och bostadstillägget för pensionärer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“raise the housing allowance for families with children and the housing supplement for pensioners”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation 11.7 per cent annually — undermines pensioners' economy and sharpens the plan's requirement for lower taxes for those with the smallest margins

The plan's binding commitment is that the total tax burden shall be reduced during the term and that the party does not participate in tax increases of this kind. The increased age limit for the enhanced basic deduction is a tax increase that affects elderly people with often low pensions, a group the plan explicitly wants to protect in a time of high inflation. Reversing the change is therefore in line with the plan.

• reduced total tax burdendecisive»Det totala skattetrycket måste ner nästa mandatperiod.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The total tax burden must be down in the next term.”
• pensioners' security»Sveriges pensionärer ska ha god trygghet, nu och många år framöver.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's pensioners shall have good security, now and for many years to come.”
• protect low pensions»Det handlar också om alla de pensionärer som bidragit till att bygga upp Sverige, men ändå har låga pensioner, inte minst kvinnor som slitit i arbetslivet och hemmet, men inte har pensioner som motsvarar deras insatser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is also about all those pensioners who have contributed to building up Sweden, but still have low pensions, not least women who have worked hard in working life and at home, but do not have pensions that match their efforts.”
• ease inflation's effects»För att möta detta krävs insatser som mildrar inflationens värsta effekter för dem med små marginaler.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To meet this requires measures that ease inflation's worst effects for those with small margins.”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation 11.7 per cent per year — erodes the real value of pensions and sharpens the plan's demand for relief for those with small margins; Policy rate 3.0 per cent and rising housing costs — strengthens reasons against a tax increase for older households

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 election manifesto explicitly promises reduced tax on pensions and strengthened incomes for pensioners, and the party programme states that a tax reform must not increase the difference in taxation between wage earners and pensioners. A raised age limit for the enhanced basic deduction does the opposite: it significantly raises taxes for just over one hundred thousand elderly. The plan thus argues for the counter-proposal's demand that the change be reversed, even though it simultaneously wants it to pay to work longer.

• reduced tax on pensionsdecisive»Därför vill vi bland annat sänka skatten på pensioner« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore, we want, among other things, to lower the tax on pensions”
• no increased tax gap against pensioners»En samlad skattereform ska inte leda till att skillnaden i beskattningen mellan löntagare och pensionärer ökar.« (party programme ↗)“A comprehensive tax reform shall not lead to increased difference in taxation between wage earners and pensioners.”
• lower tax in unsettled economic situation»För att stärka arbetslinjen och hushållens ekonomi i ett oroligt ekonomiskt läge vill vi skyndsamt genomföra ett nytt brett jobbskatteavdrag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To strengthen the work line and household economy in an unsettled economic situation, we want to quickly implement a new broad earned income tax credit.”
• working longer shall pay off»Den enskilde ska alltid kunna förbättra sin kommande pension genom att arbeta längre.« (party programme ↗)“The individual shall always be able to improve their future pension by working longer.”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation 11.7 percent year-on-year — Strengthens the plan's commitment to household economy in an unsettled situation and speaks against a tax increase for the elderly.

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 election manifesto explicitly commits to reduced tax on pensions and better economy for the country's elderly. A raised age limit for the increased basic deduction means instead a sharp tax increase for people around 65 years, which goes against this commitment. The plan does not speak about just this rule, but the direction is unambiguous: elderly people's tax shall be down, not up.

• reduced tax on pensionsdecisive»Sänkt skatt på pension.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduced tax on pensions.”
• tax relief for the elderly»Skattelättnad för äldre (69+) som vill och kan fortsätta arbeta.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tax relief for elderly (69+) who want and can continue working.”
• keep own wages and pensions»Skattesystemet ska vara utformat så att den enskilde i största möjliga utsträckning får behålla sin egen« (party programme ↗)“The tax system shall be designed so that the individual to the greatest possible extent gets to keep his own”
• prioritize pensioners' economy»Sveriges äldre och pensionärer förtjänar bättre.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's elderly and pensioners deserve better.”

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 election manifesto promises to cut taxes for all Sweden's pensioners and that total taxes shall not be raised during the term. A raised age limit that means a major tax increase for around 112,000 people of pension age goes directly against both these commitments. The plan therefore speaks for the change being reversed.

• cut tax for pensionersdecisive»Sänka skatten för alla Sveriges pensionärer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Cut taxes for all Sweden's pensioners”
• tax increase ceiling»Införa ett skattehöjarstopp under den kommande mandatperioden som innebär att de samlade skatterna inte höjs« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a tax increase ceiling during the coming term meaning that total taxes are not raised”
• pay for your pains in retirement»Du som arbetat ett helt yrkesliv måste få bättre lön för mödan när du går i pension.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“You who have worked a whole lifetime must get better pay for your trouble when you retire.”
• high tax burden should not increase»mer skatt är ingen lösning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“more tax is not a solution”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan makes pensioners' finances a core commitment: pensions should be raised, elderly poverty should be eliminated and it should be visible from the pension that one has worked. A raised age limit for the increased basic deduction means, on the other hand, a sharp tax increase for newly retired pensioners. The counter-proposal's demand to withdraw the change therefore aligns with the plan's commitment to the finances of the elderly.

• raised pensionsdecisive»Höja pensionerna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Raise pensions”
• work should pay in retirement»Det ska löna sig att ha arbetat. Den som har haft ett långt yrkesliv ska kunna leva ett gott liv på sin pension.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It should pay to have worked. Those who have had a long working life should be able to live a good life on their pension.”
• combat elderly poverty»Sverige har flest fattigpensionärer i Norden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden has the most poor pensioners in the Nordic region.”
• support for vulnerable elderly»Öka det ekonomiska stödet till de mest utsatta äldre« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase financial support for the most vulnerable elderly”

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.