Congestion tax

The plan wants the costs for emissions to increase long-term and wants urban planning to avoid locking people into car dependency, with expanded and cheaper public transport as the alternative. A phasing out of congestion charges goes in the opposite direction and removes a control instrument against car traffic and emissions in cities. The plan meets the distribution argument with cheaper public transport throughout the country, not with lower costs for motoring.

• emissions should cost moredecisive»Kostnaderna för utsläpp behöver öka långsiktigt« (party programme ↗)“Costs for emissions need to increase long-term.”
• reduced car dependency»Vi vill se en samhällsplanering som så långt som möjligt undviker« (party programme ↗)“We want to see urban planning that as far as possible avoids”
• cheaper public transport»kollektivtrafiken byggas ut och göras billigare och mer tillgänglig i hela landet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“public transport be expanded and made cheaper and more accessible throughout the country.”
• cleaner city air»Renare storstadsluft, billig och fungerande tåg- och kollektivtrafik.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Cleaner city air, cheap and functioning train and public transport.”

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 wants to realign transport systems towards more public transport and sees economic instruments as one of environmental policy's most important tools, while the primary task of taxes is to finance welfare. A phase-out of congestion charges would remove such an instrument and reduce income. The plan acknowledges that the car is needed in large parts of the country, but that is not sufficient to sustain a demand for elimination.

• realignment of transport systemsdecisive»Transportsystemen ska läggas om för mer gång-, cykel- och kollektivtrafik« (party programme ↗)“Transport systems shall be realigned for more walking, cycling and public transport”
• economic instruments in environmental policy»forskningssatsningar, lagstiftning och olika ekonomiska styrmedel är de viktigaste« (party programme ↗)“research investments, legislation and various economic instruments are the most important”
• taxes finance welfare»Skattesystemets viktigaste uppgift är att finansiera vår välfärd och nödvändiga« (party programme ↗)“The main task of the tax system is to finance our welfare and necessary”
• car dependence shall not be blamed»Klimatkrisen kan aldrig lösas med att skuldbelägga människor som behöver ta bilen till affären« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The climate crisis can never be solved by blaming people who need to take the car to the shops”

The counter-proposal wants to phase out congestion charges. The plan, by contrast, requires that car traffic in major cities decrease and that economic policy instruments make environmentally harmful alternatives more expensive, with the polluter as the payer. A phase-out would remove precisely such an instrument, so the plan speaks against the requirement. The plan's decentralist view also speaks for municipal control over the tax, not for state phase-out.

• reduced car traffic in citiesdecisive»minska bilåkandet i storstäderna och främja gång-, cykel- och kollektivtrafik.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“reduce car traffic in major cities and promote walking, cycling and public transport.”
• instruments that make emissions costly»miljövänliga alternativ billigare och de miljöskadliga dyrare att använda.« (party programme ↗)“environmentally friendly alternatives cheaper and more environmentally harmful ones more expensive to use.”
• polluter pays»bygger på principen om att det är förorenaren som« (party programme ↗)“is based on the principle that it is the polluter who”
• municipal control»Miljöpartiet har en decentralistisk grundsyn som« (party programme ↗)“The Greens have a decentralist view which”

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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 manifesto wants to use differentiated congestion charges that benefit environmental cars, that is to maintain and develop the tax, not phase it out. The basic principle that it should cost more to pollute and that tax switching should increase tax on environmental destruction points in the same direction. The party moreover wants decisions to be made close to those affected, which speaks for municipal control rather than national phase-out.

• differentiated congestion chargedecisive»Elbilarna ska främjas med hjälp av fler laddplatser, differentierade trängselskatter som gynnar miljöbilar och bättre parkeringsmöjligheter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Electric cars shall be promoted by more charging points, differentiated congestion charges that benefit environmental cars and better parking opportunities.”
• polluter pays»Det ska kosta mer att smutsa ner.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It should cost more to pollute.”
• green tax switching»Grön skatteväxling ska uppmuntras, med ökad skatt på miljöförstöring« (party programme ↗)“Green tax switching shall be encouraged, with increased tax on environmental destruction”
• decisions close to those affected»Decentralisera mera. Människor ska få bestämma mer själva, och politiska beslut ska fattas nära dem som berörs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decentralize more. People should have more say, and political decisions should be made close to those affected.”

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 party programme explicitly advocates congestion charges as an environmental policy instrument in cities with congestion or environmental problems, decided at local or regional level. The counter-proposal demands that the tax be phased out entirely, which directly contradicts this commitment. The plan moreover is built on the polluter paying and that more road charges should be tested where good public transport alternatives exist.

• congestion charges in citiesdecisive»Detta görs genom god stadsplanering och miljöavgifter, t.ex. trängselavgifter, som ska beslutas på lokal eller regional nivå och vars avgifter ska stanna på regional nivå.« (party programme ↗)“This is done through good urban planning and environmental charges, e.g. congestion charges, which shall be decided at local or regional level and whose revenues shall remain at regional level.”
• polluter pays»Det är den som förorenar – ingen annan – som ska betala.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is the polluter – nobody else – who shall pay.”
• road charges should be tested»Vägavgifter på motorvägssträckor där det finns särskilt goda kollektivtrafikalternativ bör prövas.« (party programme ↗)“Road charges on motorway sections where there are particularly good public transport alternatives should be tested.”
• real climate taxes»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 are for real climate taxes instead of making climate policy a competition in highest subsidies and most symbol taxes.”

The plan explicitly states that municipalities should be able to decide on the introduction and design of congestion charges for car traffic, in order to distribute traffic better and reduce congestion. The counter-proposal instead wants to phase out the tax entirely, which removes precisely the municipal discretion that the plan guards and contradicts the principle that each mode of transport should bear its own socioeconomic costs. The fact that the plan simultaneously cares for those dependent on cars outside the major cities does not change this explicit stance.

• municipal right to congestion chargesdecisive»trängsel ska kommunerna kunna besluta om införande« (party programme ↗)“congestion, municipalities should be able to decide on the introduction”
• traffic bears its costs»Målet ska vara att respektive transportslag bär sina egna samhällsekonomiska« (party programme ↗)“The goal shall be that each mode of transport bears its own socioeconomic”
• strong local self-government»Den kommunala självstyrelsen ska vara stark« (party programme ↗)“Local self-government shall be strong”
• regard for those dependent on cars»Vi ser den som bor utanför storstäderna och är beroende av sin bil.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We see those who live outside the major cities and depend on their car.”

The plan establishes that tax pressure is already among the world's highest and that more taxes are not a solution, and promises a tax increase cap and cheaper car driving for ordinary households. A phase-out of congestion charges with maintained budget balance is in line with that commitment. The plan does not specifically mention congestion charges, but the direction is clear: the costs on those who must take the car should decrease.

• no more taxesdecisive(2022 manifesto)
• tax increase cap»Införa ett skattehöjarstopp under den kommande mandatperioden som innebär att de samlade skatterna inte höjs« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a tax increase cap during the next term that means total taxes are not increased”
• households can afford to drive»Där du som behöver åka en bit för att skjutsa dina barn till fotbollsträningen eller musikskolan har råd att ta bilen, oavsett om den går på bensin eller el.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Where you who need to drive to pick up your children for football practice or music lessons can afford to take the car, whether it runs on petrol or electricity.”
• cheaper to drive car»Sänka priset på bensin och diesel så att du klarar din vardagsekonomi« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Lower the price of petrol and diesel so you can manage your everyday economy”

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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 describes the car as a cash cow for the state and opposes that certain forms of transport are taxed uniquely heavily, especially when those without alternatives to the car are affected. The congestion charge is such a levy on drivers, and the counter-proposal's demand for phase-out follows the plan's line of making it easier and cheaper to get around by car. The plan also emphasizes that those with the lowest incomes are the biggest losers of the car-hostile policy.

• cars are overtaxeddecisive»Bilen har blivit en kassako för staten.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The car has become a cash cow for the state.”
• no one-sided transport taxation»Att ensidigt beskatta vissa trafikslag extremt hårt slår mot dem som saknar alternativ till bilen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To uniquely tax certain forms of transport extremely heavily hits those who lack alternatives to the car.”
• distributional effect of car taxes»De största förlorarna på den bilfientliga politiken är de med lägst inkomster.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The biggest losers of car-hostile policy are those with the lowest incomes.”
• facilitate car commuting»Förbättra förutsättningarna för bilpendling, framförallt på landsbygden« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Improve conditions for car commuting, especially in rural areas”