Visible taxes and fees

The plan says nothing about how taxes and fees should be reported for employees and customers. The closest underlying principle is that a general welfare system should provide great overview and transparency, and that public transparency and the ability to hold power accountable are democracy's building blocks. Based on that principle, the plan weakly supports increased transparency about what is paid in, even though the plan's purpose for taxes is different from the counter-proposal's.

• overview and transparency in welfaredecisive»Ett generellt välfärdssystem baserat på tillit till medborgarna ger en effektiv administration samt stor överblick och insyn.« (party programme ↗)“A general welfare system based on trust in citizens provides efficient administration as well as great overview and transparency.”
• public transparency as democracy's foundation»föreningsfriheten, yttrande- och tryckfriheten, offentlighetsprincipen« (party programme ↗)“freedom of association, freedom of expression and press freedom, the principle of public transparency”
• hold power accountable»Att återupprätta politikens roll, och utkräva ansvar från de som bestämmer, är något som du är med och gör.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To restore politics' role and hold those who decide accountable is something you are part of doing.”

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 counter-proposal's premise is that tax should be made visible as an individual cost. The plan's basic view is the opposite: we of course pay jointly for each other's care, the tax system's most important task is to finance welfare, and the programme warns against an incentive society where everything has a price. The plan also does not want to add more bureaucracy. Based on derivation the plan rejects the demand, but the reasoning is principled.

• solidarity-based joint financingdecisive»Och självklart betalar vi gemensamt för okända medmänniskors förlossning, strålbehandling och insulinsprutor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“And of course we pay jointly for unknown fellow citizens' childbirth, radiation therapy and insulin injections.”
• tax finances 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”
• criticism of incentive society»När allt har ett pris har ingenting något värde.« (party programme ↗)“When everything has a price, nothing has any value.”
• not more bureaucracy»Villkor ska ställas så att pengarna till välfärden verkligen går till dess medarbetare – inte mer byråkrati.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Conditions should be set so that money for welfare really goes to its employees – not more bureaucracy.”

The party programme requires that a participatory democracy rests on easily accessible information and that citizens always shall be able to scrutinise power. Clearer disclosure of taxes and fees on salary statements, final tax assessments and receipts is such an information measure. The plan's requirement for clear labelling for informed choices points in the same direction, even though the plan does not address the issue directly.

• easily accessible informationdecisive»En deltagande demokrati kräver lättillgänglig information« (party programme ↗)“A participatory democracy requires easily accessible information”
• scrutiny of power»Medborgarna ska alltid kunna granska makten.« (party programme ↗)“Citizens shall always be able to scrutinise power.”
• openness in common matters»Våra gemensamma angelägenheter ska hanteras med öppenhet, respekt, fri debatt och demokratiska beslut.« (party programme ↗)“Our common affairs shall be handled with openness, respect, free debate and democratic decisions.”
• avoid unnecessary administration»Onödig byråkrati ska undvikas genom ett aktivt regelförenklingsarbete.« (party programme ↗)“Unnecessary bureaucracy shall be avoided through active regulatory simplification.”

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 clearest commitment that hits the requirement is to clear away regulatory red tape and unnecessary rules and bureaucracy for businesses; a new statutory obligation to report taxes and charges on payslips and receipts adds administration instead. The plan's transparency commitments concern public power – anti-corruption agency and lobbying register – not new reporting requirements on employers. The conclusion is therefore derived and uncertain.

• reduce business regulatory burdendecisive»Rensa upp i regelträsket för entreprenörer, stora som små. Vi vill införa en ny och förenklad företagsform för mikroföretag, så att fler ska våga testa att driva företag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Clear away regulatory red tape for entrepreneurs, large and small. We want to introduce a new and simplified business form for micro-enterprises, so that more dare to try running a business.”
• away with unnecessary bureaucracy»Dyra, krångliga och innovationshämmande regelverk ligger som en våt filt över delar av landsbygden. Vi ska rensa upp bland överflödiga regler och byråkrati.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Expensive, complicated and innovation-inhibiting regulations lie like a wet blanket over parts of rural Sweden. We shall clear away unnecessary rules and bureaucracy.”
• transparency in public power»Sverige ska bli ännu mer transparent. Vi vill inrätta en antikorruptionsmyndighet, skärpa regler mot korruption och införa ett lobbyregister.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall become even more transparent. We want to establish an anti-corruption agency, tighten anti-corruption rules and introduce a lobbying register.”
• good conditions for small business»Goda villkor för entreprenörer, egenföretagare och små företag är därför avgörande för att skapa nya jobb.« (party programme ↗)“Good conditions for entrepreneurs, self-employed and small businesses are therefore crucial for creating new jobs.”

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 demands a tax system that is as simple and transparent as possible and tax levels that are easy to understand, and establishes that there must be a clear connection between benefits and paid premiums. Making social fees and excise taxes visible to the individual serves precisely that transparency. That the measure increases companies' administration is an opposing consideration in the plan, but the transparency requirement weighs more heavily here.

• simple and transparent tax systemdecisive»Skattepolitiken ska gynna de välståndsbildande krafterna, vara så enkel och transparent som« (party programme ↗)“Tax policy shall favor wealth-creating forces, be as simple and transparent as”
• visible connection between fee and benefit»Det ska finnas ett tydligt samband mellan förmåner och inbetalade premier.« (party programme ↗)“There must be a clear connection between benefits and paid premiums.”
• easy to understand taxes»Sveriges skattenivåer ska vara konkurrenskraftiga och lättförståeliga för att uppmuntra till företagande, utbildning och investeringar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's tax levels shall be competitive and easy to understand to encourage entrepreneurship, education and investment.”
• reduced administrative burden»Regelbördan för små företag ska minska, genom ansträngningar på både kommunal, statlig och« (party programme ↗)“The regulatory burden on small businesses shall decrease, through efforts at municipal, national and”

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 states that the aim must be a tax system that is transparent and ethically legitimate and which is perceived as fair by citizens. To make social charges visible on pay slips, provide educational summaries of paid taxes and show excise duties' share on receipts is precisely such transparency. The programme's demands to counter bureaucracy qualify but do not overturn the conclusion.

• transparent tax systemdecisive»Strävan måste därför vara att skattesystemet är transparent och etiskt legitimt.« (party programme ↗)“The aim must therefore be that the tax system is transparent and ethically legitimate.”
• tax system perceived as fair»Skatte-, bidrags- och socialförsäkringssystemen ska sammantaget ta hänsyn till familjesituationen och försörjningsansvaret samt upplevas som rimligt av medborgaren.« (party programme ↗)“Tax, benefit and social insurance systems must as a whole take account of family situation and financial support responsibility and be perceived as fair by citizens.”
• visibility in one's own salary»Skattesystemet ska vara utformat så att den enskilde i största möjliga utsträckning får behålla sin egen lön eller pension innan kompletterande bidrag betalas ut.« (party programme ↗)“The tax system shall be designed so that the individual as far as possible can retain their own salary or pension before supplementary benefits are paid out.”
• avoid administrative burden»Byråkrati och krångliga regler ska motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“Bureaucracy and complicated rules shall be countered.”

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 counter-proposal requires new legally mandated reporting requirements on wage statements and cash receipts. The plan's concrete commitment goes in the opposite direction: one-third of companies' administration costs and one-third of regulatory red tape shall be removed, and it shall be easy to do right. The plan's ambition that taxpayers get value for money concerns how tax funds are used, not new information requirements on companies.

• one-third less administrationdecisive»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove one-third of companies' administrative costs and one-third of regulatory red tape”
• easy to do right»Där det är lätt att göra rätt – för att en tredjedel av regelkrånglet tagits bort.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Where it is easy to do right – because one-third of the regulatory red tape has been removed.”
• value for tax money»Du som betalar in skatt ska också få valuta för dina inbetalade skattepengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“You who pay in tax should also get value for the tax money you have paid in.”

The plan requires increased transparency and possibilities for accountability and demands clear results for each public investment, and emphasizes that Sweden has nearly the world's highest tax burden without corresponding welfare. The counter-proposal's demand to make social contributions, excise taxes and tax payments visible to citizens follows from this. The plan therefore supports the demand, despite also wanting to keep down business administration.

• increased transparency and accountabilitydecisive»Tjänstemannaansvar ska införas och åtgärder ska genomföras för att öka transparensen och möjligheten att utkräva politiskt ansvarsutkrävande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Official accountability should be introduced and measures implemented to increase transparency and the possibility to enforce political accountability.”
• highlight high tax burden»Sverige har nära världens högsta skattetryck, men långt från världens bästa välfärd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden has nearly the world's highest tax burden, but far from the world's best welfare.”
• responsibility for tax funds»Politiker har ett ansvar gentemot medborgarna att deras hårt förvärvade pengar används effektivt och inte slösas bort.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Politicians have a responsibility to citizens that their hard-earned money is used efficiently and not wasted.”
• results reporting»Begära tydliga resultat för varje offentlig satsning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Demand clear results for each public investment”