Guidelines for economic policy and budget policy

The plan's economic line is that demand is created through higher incomes to those with the smallest margins and through major public investments in rail, infrastructure and education. The counter-proposal's demand for rail maintenance, adult education and raised child, study and housing allowances lies directly in line with that, as does criticism of tax cuts that have benefited high-income earners. The plan also shares the committee's starting point that household economy must be strengthened.

• demand through higher low incomesdecisive»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.”
• upgraded rail and infrastructure»Vägnätet och järnvägen behöver rustas upp i stora delar av Sverige, när industrierna nu expanderar på nya platser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The road network and railways need to be upgraded in large parts of Sweden, as industries now expand in new places.”
• raised study allowance»Vänsterpartiet vill värna universitetens oberoende och finansiering och höja studiestödet så att fler kan välja att vidareutbilda sig.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party wants to protect universities' independence and funding and raise study allowances so more can choose to further their education.”
• progressive redistributive tax»Vi vill inte höja skatten för vanliga löntagare utan på mångmiljonarv, lyxvillor och stora aktievinster som man inte ens behöver jobba för.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We do not want to raise taxes for ordinary wage-earners but on multi-millionaires, luxury villas and large capital gains that you don't even have to work for.”

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 makes work and full employment the foundation of economic policy and demands active labour market policy in troubled times. It also wishes to strengthen the economy of families with children with targeted support and invest in maintenance of roads and railways as well as education. The counter-proposal's growth pact, job contract and increased benefits are in substance the same policy, whilst criticism of tax cuts for high-income earners responds to the plan's demand for progressive taxation.

• full employmentdecisive»Arbete är grunden för den ekonomiska politiken. Full sysselsättning är vårt övergripande mål.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work is the foundation of economic policy. Full employment is our overarching goal.”
• strengthened economy for families with children»Vi är beredda att stärka ekonomin för Sveriges barnfamiljer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We are prepared to strengthen the economy for Swedish families with children.”
• rail and road investments»Förbättrat underhåll av vägar och järnvägar, huvudsakligen i statlig regi.« (party programme ↗)“Improved maintenance of roads and railways, mainly in state management.”
• progressive taxation»Progressiv och utjämnande beskattning efter bärkraft.« (party programme ↗)“Progressive and equalising taxation according to ability to pay.”

Worldstate weighed in: Unemployment 8.5 per cent — strengthens the plan's demand for active labour market policy and targeted support to households; Inflation close to zero — reduces the plan's objection that demand support would fuel inflation

The counter-proposal wants to strengthen households with the narrowest margins through increased child allowance and study support and strengthened housing allowance as well as invest in railway maintenance and adult education. The plan contains precisely increased study support, increased housing allowance for families with children, renovated railways and a distributive policy where those with the most money contribute more. The demands thereby coincide with the plan's priorities, even though the package as a whole is not addressed.

• increased housing allowancedecisive»höja bostadsbidraget för barnfamiljer och bostadstillägget för pensionärer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“raise the housing allowance for families with children and the housing supplement for pensioners.”
• increased study support»höja studiestödet och förbättra studenters a-kassa och sjukförsäkring.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“raise study support and improve students' unemployment insurance and sickness insurance.”
• renovated railway»bygga ut och rusta upp järnvägsnätet för snabba tåg i hela landet och skynda på bygget av nya stambanor för höghastighetståg.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“expand and renovate the railway network for fast trains throughout the country and speed up the construction of new main lines for high-speed trains.”
• progressive distributive policy»att de med mest pengar, som också orsakar större utsläpp, ska bidra mer till omställningen och välfärden genom en progressiv beskattning av kapital. De med minst resurser ska få mer samhällsservice, lägre skatt och mer stöd i omställningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“that those with the most money, who also cause greater emissions, shall contribute more to the transition and welfare through progressive taxation of capital. Those with fewest resources shall get more public services, lower taxes and more support in the transition.”

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 wants to strengthen households through increased benefits and points to tax cuts as the problem. The election manifesto's core commitment is the opposite: total tax burden must come down, no tax increases that harm jobs shall be participated in, and more money shall be put on the welfare core and less on benefits. That it should pay more to go from benefits to work is the plan's answer to weak employment. The plan shares investment in railways, but the direction is rejected.

• reduced total tax burdendecisive»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 ↗)“The total tax burden must come down during the next mandate period. We will not participate in any tax increases that harm jobs, personal saving or make housing more expensive.”
• less on benefits»Politiken ska hushålla med skattebetalarnas pengar. Mer pengar ska läggas på välfärdens kärna, mindre på bidrag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Policy shall be good stewards of taxpayers' money. More money shall be put on the welfare core, less on benefits.”
• work line over benefits»Vi vill att det ska löna sig mer att gå från bidrag till arbete, och att fler med kortare utbildning och erfarenhet ska ha möjlighet att få enkla jobb.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want it to pay more to go from benefits to work, and for more people with shorter education and experience to have the opportunity to get simple jobs.”
• railway investment»Vi vill rusta upp regionala järnvägar, bygga nya stambanor från norr till söder, höja standarden på det nationella stambanenätet i hela landet och storsatsa på morgondagens tågtrafik — för klimatets och landsbygdens bästa.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to upgrade regional railways, build new main routes from north to south, raise the standard of the national main network throughout the country and make a major push for tomorrow's rail traffic — for the climate and rural areas' sake.”

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 counter-proposal's direction is increased child allowances and study allowances and strengthened housing allowance instead of tax cuts. The plan stands for the opposite: a broad earned income tax credit quickly, a benefit cap where total benefits may not exceed the lowest collectively agreed wages and the motto that more shall contribute and fewer shall live on benefits. That the plan shares the counter-proposal's view on the railway's bottlenecks does not change the main line.

• re-established work linedecisive»För att stärka arbetslinjen och hushållens ekonomi i ett oroligt ekonomiskt läge vill vi skyndsamt genomföra ett nytt brett jobbskatteavdrag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To strengthen the work line and household economy in a turbulent economic situation we want to quickly implement a new broad earned income tax credit.”
• benefit cap»Därför vill vi modernisera bidragssystemet genom ett bidragstak – de samlade bidragen ska inte kunna vara högre än de lägsta kollektivavtalade lönerna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore we want to modernise the benefits system through a benefit cap – total benefits may not be higher than the lowest collectively agreed wages.”
• work before benefits»Fler måste bidra – färre måste gå på bidrag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More must contribute – fewer must live on benefits.”
• railway bottlenecks»Vi vill bygga bort järnvägsnätets flaskhalsar och så att tågen går i tid här och nu i stället för att lägga hundratals miljarder på en höghastighetsjärnväg som inte är klar ens om 20 år.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to eliminate the railway network's bottlenecks so that trains run on time here and now instead of spending hundreds of billions on a high-speed railway that will not even be ready in 20 years.”

The counter-proposal wishes to strengthen households through increased child and study allowances and reinforced housing allowances. The plan, by contrast, requires that tax and benefit systems be designed so that self-reliance is encouraged and benefit dependence prevented, and establishes that job creation is the most important redistribution policy issue. The requirement for restraint in public spending points in the same direction.

• prevent benefit dependencedecisive»uppmuntras, och att bidragsberoende motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“encouraged, and that benefit dependence is prevented.”
• jobs as redistribution policy»är tillkomsten av nya jobb den i särklass viktigaste fördelningspolitiska frågan.« (party programme ↗)“is by far the most important redistribution policy issue.”
• restraint in spending»återhållsamhet i de offentliga utgifterna.« (party programme ↗)“restraint in public spending.”
• roads before expensive rail projects»Miljardsatsning för att rusta eftersatta vägar i hela landet - istället för att bygga dyra höghastighetståg.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Major investment to upgrade neglected roads throughout the country - instead of building expensive high-speed trains.”

The plan's economic core is the employment line: lower tax on work, benefit ceiling and that total benefits never become so high that it does not pay to work. The counter-proposal wants instead to raise child allowances, study allowances and housing allowances and criticizes the tax cuts. It goes against the plan's core commitments, even if railway modernization partially coincides. The demand is rejected.

• lower tax on workdecisive»Sänka skatten på arbete så att din ansträngning lönar sig bättre« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Lower the tax on work so that your effort pays off better”
• benefit ceiling»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 exceed wages from work”
• work must pay»De samlade bidragen ska aldrig bli så höga att det inte lönar sig att jobba.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Total benefits should never become so high that it does not pay to work.”
• modernized railway over new construction»Rusta upp dagens järnväg i stället för att satsa på höghastighetståg som riskerar att vara omoderna redan innan de är klara« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Modernize today's railway instead of investing in high-speed trains that risk being outdated before they are finished”

Worldstate weighed in: Unemployment 8.5 percent — Sharpens the plan's requirement for incentives to work over raised benefits; Inflation -0.1 percent and policy rate 1.75 percent — The price shock the plan was written against has faded, which weakens the reasons for broad support increases

The plan's decisive commitment is that it must pay to work and that benefits should be combined with work requirements, not increased generally. The counter-proposal's requirement for increased child and study benefits, strengthened housing benefit and a job contract for young people goes against this and resembles the labour market policy constructions the plan wants to abolish. However, the plan shares the requirement for upgraded railway and road maintenance.

• work linedecisive»Göra det mer lönsamt att arbeta« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Make it more profitable to work”
• work requirements for benefits»Inför arbetsplikt för bidrag« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce work requirements for benefits”
• no inefficient programmes»Avskaffa ineffektiva arbetsmarknads- och integrationsprogram som är skapade för att dölja arbetslöshet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Abolish inefficient labour market and integration programmes created to hide unemployment”
• upgraded infrastructure»Rusta upp väg- och järnvägsnätet i hela landet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Upgrade road and rail infrastructure throughout the country”

Worldstate weighed in: Unemployment 8.5 per cent — Strengthens the plan's requirements for real jobs and work line rather than increased benefits; GDP indicator 2.8 per cent and business confidence indicator 103.6 — Weakens the argument for further demand stimulus through benefit increases