Increased VAT on Certain Repairs

The plan requires that reuse and recycling increase, that products should last and be reusable instead of disposable, and that consumption where technology is insufficient should be steered away from the dirty. Increased VAT on repairs pulls in the opposite direction. The plan therefore speaks for maintaining the lower tax rate, and it also protects small businesses.

• increase reusedecisive»Återanvändning och återvinning av material behöver öka.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reuse and recycling of materials need to increase.”
• away from disposable»produkter som håller och lätt kan återanvändas och delas istället för slit- och släng« (2022 manifesto ↗)“products that last and can easily be reused and shared instead of disposable”
• steer consumption with taxes»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 technology shifts are not sufficient to reduce emissions, consumption must be steered away from the dirty and everyone must be given conditions to live more sustainably.”
• consideration for small businesses»Du som arbetar hårt inom ditt eget småföretag, i konkurrens med storbolag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“You who work hard in your own small business, in competition with large corporations.”

The plan demands a transformation of production and consumption in a resource-efficient and resource-effective direction and points out economic instruments as one of environmental policy's most important tools. A raised VAT on repairs goes in the opposite direction and furthermore burdens households and small businesses at a time when the plan demands caution with ordinary households' finances. Therefore it is supported that the lower tax rate be retained.

• resource-efficient transformationdecisive»Det övergripande kravet är att ställa om produktionsliv, bostäder, energisystem och transportsystem i resurssnål och resurseffektiv riktning, i former som är förenliga med kraven på social rättvisa.« (party programme ↗)“The overarching demand is to transform production, housing, energy systems and transport systems in a resource-efficient and resource-effective direction, in forms compatible with demands for social justice.”
• economic instruments for the environment»Detta kräver en strategisk miljöpolitik, där forskningssatsningar, lagstiftning och olika ekonomiska styrmedel är de viktigaste instrumenten.« (party programme ↗)“This requires a strategic environmental policy, where research investments, legislation and various economic instruments are the most important tools.”
• caution with households' finances»Den ekonomiska politiken behöver bedrivas med stor varsamhet och respekt för vanliga hushålls ekonomi.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Economic policy needs to be conducted with great caution and respect for ordinary households' finances.”
• more efficient resource use»Naturtillgångarna måste användas mer effektivt och energiproduktionen ställas om.« (party programme ↗)“Natural resources must be used more efficiently and energy production transformed.”

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 wishes it to be easy and cheap to repair instead of buying new, to set legal requirements that products are cheap to repair and lower VAT sharply on sharing services. A raised VAT on repair services runs directly counter to this and counter to the principle that environmentally friendly alternatives should be cheaper. The plan therefore supports that the lower tax rate be retained.

• cheap repairdecisive»ställa lagkrav på att produkter ska vara enkla och billiga att reparera och uppdatera.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“set legal requirements that products shall be simple and cheap to repair and update.”
• reuse before new purchase»Vi vill att det ska vara både enkelt och billigt för var« (party programme ↗)“We wish it to be both simple and cheap for anyone”
• steering for circularity»miljövänliga alternativ billigare och de miljöskadliga dyrare att använda.« (party programme ↗)“environmentally friendly alternatives cheaper and environmentally harmful more expensive to use.”
• lower VAT on sharing»sänka momsen kraftigt på bilpooler och andra delningstjänster och underlätta för de som vill dela, istället för äga, en bil.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“lower VAT sharply on car pools and other sharing services and facilitate those who want to share, instead of own, a car.”

The plan wants to make Sweden the world's most resource-efficient country with a more circular economy where reuse is encouraged, and it explicitly excludes tax increases that harm jobs. It also wants to lower taxes especially for small businesses. An increased VAT on repair services goes against both these commitments, and the plan therefore supports the demand to keep the lower tax rate.

• circular and resource-efficient economydecisive»Sverige ska bli världens mest resurseffektiva land och ekonomin mer cirkulär. Med rätt stöd och regelförenklingar kan vi återvinna och återbruka allt från kläder till mineral och metaller.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall become the world's most resource-efficient country and the economy more circular. With right support and regulatory simplification we can recycle and reuse everything from clothes to minerals and metals.”
• no job-damaging tax increases»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 tax burden»Det totala skattetrycket måste ner nästa mandatperiod.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The total tax burden must be reduced during the next parliamentary term.”
• reduced tax for small businesses»Sänk skatten på jobb och företagande, särskilt för småföretag och egenföretagare.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Lower taxes on jobs and business, especially for small businesses and the self-employed.”

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 explicitly distances itself from climate policy built on targeted tax cuts and symbolic initiatives and prefers real climate taxes and a simple and transparent tax system where reduced taxes are exchanged for higher consumption and environmental taxes. A preserved reduced VAT rate for repairs is just such a deviation from uniformity that the plan does not defend. That the plan wants to promote reuse and recycling points partly in another direction, but the policy instrument shall according to the plan be general.

• real climate taxes, not symbolic taxesdecisive»Därför är vi för riktiga klimatskatter i stället för att göra klimatpolitiken till en tävling i högst bidrag och flest symbolskatter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore, we support real climate taxes instead of making climate policy into a competition in highest subsidies and most symbolic taxes.”
• simple and uniform tax system»Skattepolitiken ska gynna de välståndsbildande krafterna, vara så enkel och transparent som möjligt« (party programme ↗)“Tax policy shall promote wealth-creating forces, be as simple and transparent as possible”
• green tax shift»Därför behöver miljöavgifter och miljöskatter höjas samtidigt som andra skatter sänks« (party programme ↗)“Therefore, environmental charges and environmental taxes need to be raised while other taxes are lowered”
• reuse and recycling»Avfallets miljöpåverkan ska minskas genom fungerande återanvändning och återbruk.« (party programme ↗)“Waste's environmental impact shall be reduced through functioning reuse and recycling.”

The party programme's stated line is that the value-added tax level in principle shall be general, which speaks for the normal tax rate and against preserving a particular lower rate for repair services. The programme opens for exceptions and wants reuse to come before waste, but it does not support a departure from uniformity. The plan therefore rejects the counter-proposal's demand.

• general VAT leveldecisive»Nivån på mervärdesskatten bör i princip vara generell.« (party programme ↗)“The value-added tax level should in principle be general.”
• exceptions may be necessary»En hög generell nivå på momssatsen medför dock att undantag kan behöva göras.« (party programme ↗)“A high general level of the VAT rate, however, means that exceptions may need to be made.”
• reuse before waste»Avfallshantering ska främst utgå från att förebygga avfall, sedan följer återanvändning och materialåtervinning.« (party programme ↗)“Waste management shall primarily be based on preventing waste, then follows reuse and material recycling.”
• simple tax rules»Det är dessutom viktigt att skattereglerna utformas så enkelt som möjligt för att därigenom underlätta för bland annat småföretagsamhet.« (party programme ↗)“It is furthermore important that tax rules be designed as simply as possible so as to thereby facilitate for among others small enterprise.”

The plan promises a tax increase ceiling meaning that aggregate taxes are not raised during the mandate period and asserts that more tax is no solution in a country with one of the world's highest tax burdens. A raised VAT on repair services is a tax increase that hits small service companies whose conditions the plan instead wants to improve. Therefore the plan backs the counter-proposal's requirement to keep the lower tax rate.

• tax increase ceilingdecisive»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 mandate period meaning that aggregate taxes are not raised”
• no new taxes(2022 manifesto)
• good conditions for small businesses»Villkoren för att starta, växa och expandera behöver vara goda för att fler ska våga lämna trygga och välbetalda jobb för att starta företag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Conditions for starting, growing and expanding need to be good for more people to dare leave safe and well-paid jobs to start a business.”
• high taxes hamper jobs»Alltför höga skatter och en överreglerad ekonomi har hämmat tillväxt och jobbskapande« (party programme ↗)“Too high taxes and an over-regulated economy have hampered growth and job creation”

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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's main commitment in the area is to reduce costs and taxes for small businesses and not impose burdens that hinder companies' margins. A VAT increase on repair services affects precisely such small, labour-intensive businesses, which is why the plan leads to the lower tax rate being retained. The plan says nothing, however, about the committee's reasons concerning uniform VAT and normal tax rate.

• lower costs for small businessesdecisive»Sänka arbetsgivaravgiften och sjuklönekostnaderna för småföretag« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce employer contributions and sickness benefit costs for small businesses”
• taxes burden small businesses»Byråkrati, regelbörda, skatter och administrativa kostnader riskerar att ta fokus från kärnverksamheten och ta udden av en entreprenörs drivkraft.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Bureaucracy, regulatory burden, taxes and administrative costs risk taking focus from core operations and taking the edge off an entrepreneur's drive.”
• competitive business taxes»Skattepolitiken måste därför syfta till konkurrenskraftiga skatter som inte avviker för mycket från omvärlden, framförallt de skatter som läggs på företagen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tax policy must therefore aim for competitive taxes that do not deviate too much from the rest of the world, especially the taxes imposed on companies.”

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.