Household assets and debts

The party programme requires that the power of financial capital is broken through regulation and increased democratic control and that public influence over lending is strengthened. A debt and credit register is one such regulatory tool, and knowledge of how households' assets and debts are distributed is needed for the party's demands for increased taxation of capital. At the same time, the programme warns against growing registration, which is why the support is derived and uncertain.

• regulation of the financial sectordecisive»Finanskapitalets makt måste brytas genom regleringar och ökad demokratisk kontroll.« (party programme ↗)“The power of financial capital must be broken through regulation and increased democratic control.”
• public influence over lending»Det samhälleliga inflytandet över investeringar och kreditgivning stärks.« (party programme ↗)“Public influence over investments and lending is strengthened.”
• knowledge of wealth gaps»För att motverka denna utveckling krävs bland annat en skattereform som innebär en ökad beskattning av kapital och högre skatt på de högsta inkomsterna.« (party programme ↗)“To counteract this development, among other things a tax reform is required that entails increased taxation of capital and higher taxes on the highest incomes.”
• protection against registration»Växande övervakning och registrering ska motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“Growing surveillance and registration should be counteracted.”

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 identifies growing household debt as the driver behind the unstable debt economy that triggered the financial crisis and requires instruments that increase stability and counter short-termism. A debt and credit register is such an instrument and provides the statistics needed for a well-balanced policy. The election manifesto's promise to never undermine Sweden's economy points in the same direction.

• risks of household debtdecisive»Svåra fördelningskonflikter har tillfälligt kunnat undvikas genom att skuldsättningen i den rika delen av världen har vuxit: när reallönerna inte har ökat i samma takt som det totala välståndet, har människor kompenserat detta med att ta större lån.« (party programme ↗)“Severe distribution conflicts have temporarily been avoided as debt in the wealthy part of the world has grown: when real wages have not increased at the same rate as total wealth, people have compensated for this by taking larger loans.”
• instruments for financial stability»Det är också nödvändigt att utveckla instrument som ökar stabiliteten i de internationella finanssystemen, motverkar kortsiktiga spekulationer och gynnar långsiktiga investeringar.« (party programme ↗)“It is also necessary to develop instruments that increase stability in international financial systems, counter short-term speculation and promote long-term investments.”
• instability of debt economy»Detta har bidragit till den instabila skuldekonomi som utlöste den stora finanskrisen i slutet på 00-talet.« (party programme ↗)“This contributed to the unstable debt economy that triggered the major financial crisis at the end of the 2000s.”
• responsibility for economic stability»Socialdemokraterna kommer aldrig att medverka till att underminera Sveriges ekonomi.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Social Democrats will never participate in undermining Sweden's economy.”

The plan establishes that over-indebtedness shall be prevented and that excessive private debt is a risk for both the individual and the national economy; a debt and credit register is a tool to ensure that borrowers can manage their loans. The plan's requirement for strong consumer protection in an increasingly complicated market points in the same direction. The plan's protection of personal integrity simultaneously sets requirements on how such a register is designed.

• prevent over-indebtednessdecisive»Girighet, överskuldsättning och spekulation ska motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“Greed, over-indebtedness and speculation shall be prevented.”
• debt as a societal risk»hög privat skuldsättning är en risk för individen« (party programme ↗)“high private debt is a risk for the individual”
• strong consumer protection»god konsumentvägledning, tydlig märkning av varor och tjänster« (party programme ↗)“good consumer guidance, clear labelling of goods and services”
• protected personal integrity»Vi vill värna människors rätt till integritet och« (party programme ↗)“We want to protect people's right to integrity and”

The plan does not address over-indebtedness or credit registers. The nearest principle is that all legislation shall be tested against its impact on personal integrity and that strong integrity protection is an indispensable part of an open society. A central register of individuals' debts and credits is a significant privacy intrusion, and the plan provides no support for introducing it now.

• integrity testing of lawsweak support»All lagstiftning bör prövas mot dess påverkan på människors personliga integritet.« (party programme ↗)“All legislation should be tested against its impact on people's personal integrity.”
• strong integrity protectiondecisive»Ett starkt integritetsskydd är därför en omistlig del av ett öppet och demokratiskt samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“Strong integrity protection is therefore an indispensable part of an open and democratic society.”
• individual rights against the state»Rättsstaten och individens rättigheter gentemot staten måste försvaras. Vi säger därför nej till visitationszoner, kollektiv bestraffning, omvänd bevisbörda, anonyma vittnen, preventiv avlyssning och inskränkningar av religionsfriheten.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The rule of law and the individual's rights in relation to the state must be defended. We therefore say no to stop-and-search zones, collective punishment, reversed burden of proof, anonymous witnesses, preventive surveillance and restrictions on freedom of religion.”

flags: citat_svagt

The plan wants over-indebted people to more easily become debt-free and for consumers to have access to budget and debt counselling, and it values stable public finances as a foundation for meeting crises. A debt and credit register is a tool in that direction. At the same time, the plan requires that protection for the individual's privacy be strengthened, which makes the support conditional and uncertain.

• combat over-indebtednessdecisive»Reglerna för skuldsanering ska ändras så att överskuldsatta får större möjlighet att bli skuldfria.« (party programme ↗)“The rules for debt settlement shall be changed so that over-indebted people have greater opportunity to become debt-free.”
• debt counselling for consumers»Konsumenter ska ha tillgång till budget- och skuldrådgivning och opartisk« (party programme ↗)“Consumers shall have access to budget and debt counselling and impartial”
• stable public finances»Stabila offentliga finanser och låg statsskuld skapar utrymme för Sverige att möta kriser« (party programme ↗)“Stable public finances and low national debt create room for Sweden to meet crises”
• privacy protection as counterweight»Skyddet för den enskildes integritet ska stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Protection for the individual's privacy shall be strengthened.”

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 opposes an economy marked by speculation and irresponsibility and requires effective legal rules and well-informed consumers. A debt and credit register ensuring that borrowers have repayment capacity is a means for precisely this responsible stewardship, which speaks for the counter-proposal's requirements. At the same time the plan requires great caution and respect for personal integrity in handling personal data, which is a real objection to a register. The matter is not addressed in the plan, so the basis is weak.

• responsible, long-term economydecisive»En ekonomi präglad av inflation och spekulation, ansvarslöshet och egoism, är därför motsatsen« (party programme ↗)“An economy marked by inflation and speculation, irresponsibility and selfishness, is therefore the opposite”
• effective legal rules»och välinformerade konsumenter samt effektiva rättsliga spelregler« (party programme ↗)“and well-informed consumers and effective legal rules”
• protect personal integrity»försiktighet och respekt för den personliga integriteten« (party programme ↗)“caution and respect for personal integrity”

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 order and discipline in the economy and shows through the national census that it sees registers and better information as legitimate tools to gain control. The party programme places the state's role in protecting the economy's fundamental institutions and that people have control over their own economy. A debt and credit register that secures borrowers' repayment capacity is in line with this, although data protection calls for caution.

• order and discipline in the economydecisive»I tuffa ekonomiska tider krävs ordning och reda i ekonomin.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“In tough economic times, order and discipline in the economy is required.”
• registers as control tool»Genomföra en nationell folkräkning för att stoppa bidragsbrotten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Carry out a national census to stop benefit fraud”
• control over own economy»att ha kontroll över sin egen ekonomi är en av de viktigaste« (party programme ↗)“to have control over one's own economy is one of the most important”
• protect personal privacy»Den personliga integriteten ska värnas, såväl från intrång« (party programme ↗)“Personal privacy shall be protected, both from intrusion”

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 says nothing about debt and credit registers or statistics on household assets and liabilities. The closest principle is the party programme's responsibly regulated market economy built on long-term thinking, together with the commitment to counteract systems that encourage fraud. From that principle a register emerges that ensures repayment capacity as compatible with the plan, but the conclusion is uncertain.

• responsibly regulated marketdecisive»reglerad marknadsekonomi, byggd på långsiktigt tänkande, är för oss självklar.« (party programme ↗)“responsibly regulated market economy, built on long-term thinking, is self-evident for us.”
• counteract risky systems»Både fusk och sådana system som tenderar att locka till fusk och korruption ska motverkas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Both fraud and systems that tend to encourage fraud and corruption must be counteracted.”

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.