Guidelines for economic policy and fiscal policy

The plan's economic direction is redistribution: higher incomes for those with lowest incomes create demand, and resources to municipalities and regions must increase so welfare can be built up. The counter-proposal's demands for strengthened purchasing power at the bottom, increased general government grants, and strengthened welfare are therefore the plan's own policy. The plan furthermore demands investment support and a state building company for increased housing construction, which supports the demand to strengthen the building sector.

• strengthened purchasing power at the bottomdecisive»Genom en politik för högre löner för dem med lägst inkomster så skapas efterfrågan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Through a policy of higher wages for those with the lowest incomes demand is created.”
• increased resources to municipalities»Omfördelningen från stat till region och kommun måste öka och särskild hänsyn ska tas till de många kommuner och regioner som idag inte får ihop sin ekonomi samtidigt som de redan har bland landets högsta skatter totalt sett.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Redistribution from state to region and municipality must increase and special consideration must be given to the many municipalities and regions that today cannot make ends meet while already having among the country's highest total taxes.”
• support for housing construction»Vänsterpartiet vill se ett statligt byggbolag, investeringsstöd för ökat bostadsbyggande och en aktiv markpolitik.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party wants to see a state building company, investment support for increased housing construction and an active land policy.”
• redistribution and major investments»Men då krävs stora satsningar, omfördelning och massiva investeringar för att ge människor goda levnadsvillkor, ta itu med klimatkrisen och skapa jobb i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“But then major investments, redistribution and massive investments are needed to give people good living conditions, tackle the climate crisis and create jobs throughout the country.”

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 election manifesto explicitly promises continued increased state grants to municipalities and regions to strengthen welfare, which is the counter-proposal's core demand. It also promises targeted support to those hardest hit by price increases, which corresponds to the demand for strengthened purchasing power for those with the lowest incomes, and the party programme wants state support to address the housing shortage, which carries the construction initiative. Full employment is the plan's overarching goal against high unemployment.

• increased state grants to welfaredecisive»Vi vill fortsätta öka statens bidrag till kommuner och regioner.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to continue increasing state grants to municipalities and regions.”
• targeted support to those hardest hit»Med riktade och smarta stöd kan vi stötta människor utan att driva på inflationen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With targeted and smart support we can support people without driving up inflation.”
• state support for building»Statligt stöd för att häva bostadsbristen, särskilt för unga.« (party programme ↗)“State support to address the housing shortage, especially for young people.”
• full employment as the main goal»Full sysselsättning är det övergripande målet för socialdemokratisk ekonomisk politik.« (party programme ↗)“Full employment is the overarching goal for Social Democratic economic policy.”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation down to 0.2 percent — The plan's warning against inflation-driving support carries less weight, the scope for purchasing power reforms increases; Unemployment 8.6 percent and zero growth — The goal of full employment justifies active stimulus and strengthened welfare

The election manifesto is explicit: those with the fewest resources should get more public services, lower taxes and more support, while the richest should contribute more – precisely the redistribution towards lower incomes that the counter-proposal wants to embed in economic policy's direction. The plan also wants to develop and expand investment support to build more rental apartments, which corresponds to the demand for support for the construction sector. The party programme's demands for reduced economic inequality and equivalent conditions for municipal services throughout the country support the demand for indexed general state grants and strengthened welfare.

• redistribution to low-income earnersdecisive»De med minst resurser ska få mer samhällsservice, lägre skatt och mer stöd i omställningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Those with the fewest resources should get more public services, lower taxes and more support in the transition.”
• investment support for housing construction»bygga fler klimatsmarta hyresrätter med rimliga hyror, utveckla och utöka investeringsstödet som gjorde det billigare att bygga och se till att fler kan äga sin bostad.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“build more climate-smart rental apartments with reasonable rents, develop and expand investment support that made it cheaper to build and ensure that more can own their homes.”
• equivalent municipal services»Ett väl fungerande skattesystem ska ge likvärdiga ekonomiska förutsättningar att bedriva kommunal service i hela landet.« (party programme ↗)“A well-functioning tax system should provide equivalent economic conditions for delivering municipal services throughout the country.”
• reduced economic inequality»De ekonomiska klyftorna ska minska.« (party programme ↗)“Economic inequality should decrease.”

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's economic direction is that total tax pressure shall come down, that the fiscal policy framework shall be protected and that more money shall be put on welfare's core and less on benefits. The counter-proposal instead wants to emphasize listed state grants and expanded welfare, which pulls in the opposite direction. The plan certainly wants to strengthen households with lower incomes, but does so through lower taxes and a protected work ethic, not through higher expenditures. The plan therefore rejects the counter-proposal's direction.

• reduced total tax pressuredecisive»Det totala skattetrycket måste ner nästa mandatperiod. Vi kommer inte att medverka till några skattehöjningar som skadar jobben, det egna sparandet eller gör det dyrare att bo.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Total tax pressure must come down next term. We will not take part in any tax increases that damage jobs, personal savings or make housing more expensive.”
• protected fiscal policy framework»Det finanspolitiska ramverket ska värnas och förstärkas, och Sveriges långsiktiga ekonomiska stabilitet ska försvaras. Politiken ska hushålla med skattebetalarnas pengar. Mer pengar ska läggas på välfärdens kärna, mindre på bidrag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The fiscal policy framework shall be protected and strengthened, and Sweden's long-term economic stability shall be defended. Policy shall be economical with taxpayers' money. More money shall be put on welfare's core, less on benefits.”
• protected work ethic»Arbetslinjen måste värnas, och den som kan jobba ska inte leva på skattebetalarnas pengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The work ethic must be protected, and those who can work shall not live on taxpayers' money.”
• tax cuts for low incomes»Därför vill vi sänka skatten, särskilt för dem med lägre inkomster och för de viktiga småföretagen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore we want to cut taxes, especially for those with lower incomes and for the important small businesses.”

Worldstate weighed in: Inflation is down to 0.2 percent — The plan's commitments to mitigate inflation's effects no longer justify a purchasing power package; Unemployment is 8.6 percent — The plan's work ethic and tax cuts on jobs become the most directly applicable answer rather than higher state grants

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's economic main line is to restore the work line through a broad job tax deduction and a benefit cap, not to raise benefits and state grants. It also wants to abolish today's expensive building subsidies. The counter-proposal's direction towards increased purchasing power through transfers, indexed general state grants and support for the building sector thus conflicts with the plan's commitments.

• restored work linedecisive»vill vi skyndsamt genomföra ett nytt brett jobbskatteavdrag« (2022 manifesto ↗)“we want quickly to introduce a new broad job tax deduction”
• benefit cap»de samlade bidragen ska inte kunna vara högre än de lägsta kollektivavtalade lönerna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“aggregate benefits shall not be higher than the lowest collective agreement wages”
• abolished building subsidies»Dagens dyra byggsubventioner ska avskaffas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Today's expensive building subsidies shall be abolished”
• stable public finances»Stabila offentliga finanser och låg statsskuld skapar utrymme för Sverige att möta kriser utan att« (party programme ↗)“Stable public finances and low government debt create room for Sweden to face crises without”

The plan makes the creation of new jobs the most important distributive policy issue and demands that tax and benefit systems counteract benefit dependency and restraint in public spending. The counter-proposal's focus on increased purchasing power through transfers and inflation-adjusted general state grants is a different path than the plan's employment line. That the state shall support weak municipalities is in the plan, but as targeted support rather than as general indexation.

• jobs as distributive policydecisive»Därför är tillkomsten av nya jobb den i särklass viktigaste fördelningspolitiska frågan.« (party programme ↗)“Therefore, the creation of new jobs is by far the most important distributive policy issue.”
• counteract benefit dependency»Skatte- och bidragssystemen måste utformas så att människors egen kraft och engagemang uppmuntras, och att bidragsberoende motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“Tax and benefit systems must be designed so that people's own initiative and commitment are encouraged and benefit dependency is counteracted.”
• restraint in public spending»Sparandet i den svenska ekonomin måste hållas högt genom hushållssparande och genom återhållsamhet i de offentliga utgifterna.« (party programme ↗)“Savings in the Swedish economy must be kept high through household savings and through restraint in public spending.”
• state support to weak municipalities»Det är en statlig uppgift att stödja kommuner som inte har ett tillräckligt skatteunderlag för att klara sina lagstadgade skyldigheter mot kommunens invånare.« (party programme ↗)“It is a state task to support municipalities that do not have sufficient tax base to meet their statutory obligations to the municipality's residents.”

Worldstate weighed in: Unemployment 8.6 percent and zero growth in the GDP indicator — sharpens the plan's requirement for employment policy and job creation before increased transfers; Inflation down to 0.2 percent — weakens the argument for inflation-adjusted general state grants as an acute measure

The plan establishes that the surplus target should be protected and that all new reforms must be financed, and that economic policy should be based on restored work line with reduced tax on work and a benefit ceiling. The counter-proposal's direction with strengthened purchasing power for the lowest incomes, inflation-adjusted general government grants and expanded welfare goes directly against this and lacks financing within the plan's framework. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demands.

• protected surplus targetdecisive»Överskottsmålet ska värnas och det är inte aktuellt att övergå till ett balansmål.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The surplus target shall be protected and it is not current to move to a balance target.”
• financed reforms»Alla nya löften och reformer – som till exempel våra inkomstskattesänkningar – behöver finansieras eller rymmas inom överskottsmålet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“All new commitments and reforms – such as our income tax reductions – need to be financed or fit within the surplus target.”
• lower tax on work»Sänka skatten på arbete så att din ansträngning lönar sig bättre« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Lower taxes on work so that your effort pays off better”
• benefit ceiling and work line»Införa ett bidragstak så att de samlade bidragen aldrig kan bli högre än lönen från ett arbete« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a benefit ceiling so that total benefits can never be higher than wages from work”

The plan's main economic line is that work should pay and that prosperity is created in businesses, with a reprioritisation of public spending rather than increased purchasing power through benefits and inflation-adjusted government grants. The party programme explicitly warns that overly extensive redistribution policy can have negative consequences. The counter-proposal's focus on purchasing power for those with the lowest incomes and inflation-adjusted government grants therefore lies outside the plan's commitments.

• the work linedecisive»Göra det lönsamt att arbeta och bidra till samhället« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Make it rewarding to work and contribute to society”
• limit to redistribution policy»Samtidigt är det viktigt att poängtera att en alltför långtgående fördelningspolitik också kan få negativa konsekvenser.« (party programme ↗)“At the same time, it is important to emphasise that overly extensive redistribution policy can also have negative consequences.”
• businesses bear welfare»Grunden för välfärden skapas i företagen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The foundation for welfare is created in businesses.”
• reprioritisation to welfare»Se över offentliga utgifter och rikta om medel till välfärden och rättsväsendet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Review public spending and redirect funds to welfare and the justice system”