Tax on chemicals

The plan's environmental line rests on powerful legislation and economic steering tools that direct production and consumption away from the harmful. Abolishing the chemical tax removes such a tool without replacing it with binding requirements on manufacturers. The plan furthermore places the responsibility for transformation on industry, not on consumer price reductions. This way, the plan speaks against the counter-proposal's demands.

• economic steering tools in environmental policydecisive»Därför behövs en kraftfull lagstiftning, ekonomiska styrmedel, långsiktig samhällsplanering, klimatinvesteringar och miljöinriktad näringspolitik för att miljöhoten ska kunna bemästras.« (party programme ↗)“Therefore, powerful legislation, economic steering tools, long-term societal planning, climate investments, and environmentally directed economic policy are needed to master environmental threats.”
• direct consumption away from the dirty»Där inte teknikskiften räcker för att minska utsläppen måste konsumtionen styras bort från det smutsiga och alla ges förutsättningar att leva mer hållbart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Where technological shifts are not enough to reduce emissions, consumption must be directed away from the dirty and everyone must be given conditions to live more sustainably.”
• demands on industry»Politiken kan och måste ställa krav på att industrin ställer om« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Policy can and must demand that industry transforms”
• environmental considerations superordinate»de långsiktiga miljöhänsynen måste vara överordnade i den meningen att ett globalt ekologiskt sammanbrott aldrig kan vara ett pris värt att betala.« (party programme ↗)“long-term environmental considerations must be superordinate in the sense that a global ecological collapse can never be a price worth paying.”

The plan asserts that environmental considerations shall be built into production from the beginning and that economic instruments according to the principle that the polluter pays is the right tool against dangerous emissions and substances. Abolishing the chemical tax on electronics and household appliances goes against that line. Moreover, the programme's main task for taxes is to finance welfare, which speaks against removing an existing tax base.

• environmental requirements in productiondecisive»Hänsynen till miljöns krav ska byggas in i produktionsprocesserna redan från början.« (party programme ↗)“Environmental considerations must be built into production processes from the start.”
• the polluter pays»Vi ska verka för att ett globalt koldioxidpris införs med principen att förorenaren betalar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall work for a global carbon price to be introduced with the principle that the polluter pays.”
• taxes finance welfare»Skattesystemets viktigaste uppgift är att finansiera vår välfärd och nödvändiga« (party programme ↗)“The tax system's most important task is to finance our welfare and necessary”

The plan requires that toxic substances be phased out immediately and that economic instruments and legislation be used against environmentally damaging substances; abolishing the chemical tax on electronics goes directly against this. The party programme additionally establishes that what is too harmful should be banned and that chemical control should be strict. The counter-proposal's requirements are therefore rejected.

• phase out toxic substancesdecisive»fasa ut giftiga ämnen omgående, speciellt från produkter för barn.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“phase out toxic substances immediately, especially from children's products.”
• instruments against environmentally damaging substances»och fasa ut miljöskadliga ämnen. Vi ser att ekonomiska styrmedel och lagstiftning behövs för att« (party programme ↗)“and phase out environmentally damaging substances. We see that economic instruments and legislation are needed to”
• strict chemical control»kontrollen, såväl nationellt som inom EU:s kemikaliepolitik, måste vara skarp. Särskild hänsyn« (party programme ↗)“control, both nationally and within the EU's chemical policy, must be strict. Particular attention”
• harmful should be banned»det som är alltför skadligt ska förbjudas.« (party programme ↗)“what is too harmful should be banned.”

The plan requires a leadership that prioritises effective measures over symbolic politics and that total tax pressure fall during the term. A point tax on home electronics which according to the counter-proposal does not noticeably reduce dangerous chemicals fits poorly with that line, while the plan's goals for reuse and resource efficiency speak for other ways. At the same time the plan's principle that it should cost more to pollute partly opposes a termination, which makes the assessment uncertain.

• effective measures before symbolic politicsdecisive»prioriterar effektiva åtgärder framför symbolpolitik eller passivitet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“prioritises effective measures over symbolic politics or passivity”
• reduced total tax pressure»Det totala skattetrycket måste ner nästa mandatperiod.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Total tax pressure must fall next term.”
• reuse and rule simplification»Med rätt stöd och regelförenklingar kan vi återvinna och återbruka allt från kläder till mineral och metaller.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With the right support and rule simplifications we can recycle and reuse everything from clothes to minerals and metals.”
• polluting shall be taxed»Det ska kosta mer att smutsa ner.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It should cost more to pollute.”

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 party programme explicitly says that the chemical tax contributes to removing dangerous chemicals and that chemical legislation shall be based on the precautionary principle with tightened legislation and special consideration to children's sensitivity. The counter-proposal demands that precisely this tax be abolished, which goes straight against the commitment. The plan's line is to tighten the policy tools against dangerous chemicals, not to remove them.

• chemical tax as policy tooldecisive»samt till den samlade effekten då flera olika kemikalier samverkar. Kemikalieskatt bidrar till att få« (party programme ↗)“and to the overall effect when several different chemicals interact. Chemical tax contributes to removing”
• the precautionary principle for chemicals»Kemikalielagstiftningen ska utgå från försiktighetsprincipen.« (party programme ↗)“Chemical legislation shall be based on the precautionary principle.”
• tightened chemical legislation»kemikalielagstiftningen behöver skärpas, och särskild hänsyn tas till barn och ungas känslighet« (party programme ↗)“chemical legislation needs to be tightened, and special consideration is given to children and young people's sensitivity”

The plan establishes that economic instruments shall be used to make it profitable to act environmentally and that the polluter shall pay for environmental costs. An excise tax on dangerous chemicals in goods is precisely such an instrument, and the precautionary principle speaks for keeping it as long as suspicion of harm remains. The counter-proposal's demand for abolition thus goes against the plan's line, even though the plan shares the ambition to reduce dangerous substances.

• economic instruments for the environmentdecisive»att skapa ekonomiska motiv att agera miljövänligt för såväl konsumenter som producenter« (party programme ↗)“to create economic incentives to act environmentally for both consumers and producers”
• the polluter pays»Miljöpolitiken ska bygga på principen att förorenaren ska betala« (party programme ↗)“Environmental policy shall be based on the principle that the polluter pays”
• the precautionary principle»agerandet grundas på försiktighetsprincipen« (party programme ↗)“the action is based on the precautionary principle”

The plan explicitly opposes complicated excise taxes that make everyday life more expensive for consumers and promises both a tax increase cap and abolition of the waste incineration tax. The chemical tax on home electronics is precisely such a consumer-price-raising excise tax. The plan instead points to technical development and effective policy instruments rather than punitive taxes to reduce dangerous substances. Therefore, the plan supports the demand for abolition and investigation of alternative approaches.

• avveckla krångliga konsumentskatterdecisive»Under de senaste åtta åren har regeringen höjt 46 skatter, som krånglar till och fördyrar vardagen för både företagare och konsumenter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Over the past eight years, the government has raised 46 taxes, which complicate and make everyday life more expensive for both entrepreneurs and consumers.”
• avskaffa ineffektiv punktskatt»Ta bort avfallsförbränningsskatten för att öka elproduktionen från kraftvärmeverken« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove the waste incineration tax to increase electricity production from combined heat and power plants”
• skattehöjarstopp»Införa ett skattehöjarstopp under den kommande mandatperioden som innebär att de samlade skatterna inte höjs« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a tax increase cap during the coming term of office which means that total taxes are not raised”
• teknikutveckling framför straffskatt(2022 manifesto)

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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 requires that symbolic political charges that make things more expensive for business and households without demonstrated environmental benefit be scrapped, and that environmental measures be chosen based on most environment per krona and based on facts. The chemical tax on electronics and appliances is precisely such a tax whose environmental effect is questioned while the cost is certain. The plan therefore speaks for the counter-proposal's demand to abolish the tax and instead investigate more targeted approaches.

• stop symbolic political chargesdecisive»Stoppa symbolpolitik som går ut över möjligheten att bedriva industri och näring« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop symbolic politics that goes against the possibility of conducting industry and business”
• most environment per krona»Sträva efter miljöeffektivitet och hitta de åtgärder som ger mest miljö per krona« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strive for environmental efficiency and find measures that give the most environment per krona”
• evidence-based environmental policy»Miljöpolitiken måste alltid stämmas av mot nya rön i forskningen och baseras på fakta framför känslor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Environmental policy must always be checked against new research findings and based on facts rather than feelings.”
• competitive taxes»Ha skatter på en nivå som inte hämmar svenska företag i den internationella konkurrensen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Have taxes at a level that does not hinder Swedish companies in international competition”