2023-02-082022/23:FiU12 · p.1FiUEconomy & finance
The Swedish National Audit Office's report on the annual reallocation of agency appropriations
The productivity deduction in the annual price and wage adjustment of agency appropriations
What's at stake: The adjustment determines how much agencies' administrative appropriations are raised each year, and thus their room for staff and operations; the productivity deduction has amounted to roughly one billion kronor a year. Universities and colleges are among those arguing that the deduction erodes their funding for undergraduate education.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the productivity deduction in the price and wage adjustment should be abolished and the model reviewed, or whether the current model should be kept with continued work on greater transparency.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee considers the price and wage adjustment to be an established, transparent and predictable part of the budget process that keeps compensation for price and wage increases separate from the government's political priorities, welcomes the government's work on greater transparency, and notes that the productivity requirement has acted as a signal for efficiency without preventing agencies from carrying out their tasks, and that the deduction has not been larger for higher education institutions than for others. The committee therefore rejects the motions and proposes that the written communication be placed on file.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 1 (V)
The reservation wants to abolish the productivity deduction and review the model for price and wage adjustment of agency appropriations.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: closing the file on the government's report (no further action) and rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 1 by V.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | No 0/21/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| S | No | Yes 91/1/1/14 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| MP | No | Abstain 0/0/14/4 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| C | Yes | Yes 14/0/1/9 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| L | Yes | Yes 14/0/0/2 | follows the plan | confidence: low | derived |
| KD | Yes | Yes 15/0/0/4 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | Yes | Yes 60/0/0/8 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| SD | Yes | Yes 61/0/0/12 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
Broke with the party line
| SJytte Guteland (S, Stockholms kommun) | No — party line: Yes |
| SKadir Kasirga (S, Stockholms kommun) | Abstain — party line: Yes |
| CChristofer Bergenblock (C, Hallands län) | Abstain — party line: Yes |
MPs whose vote differs from their party's majority position in this division. Marked with a dark ring in the chamber view.
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motions 2022/23:10 by Janine Alm Ericson (MP) and 2022/23:1299 by Nooshi Dadgostar et al. (V) clause 9 and files memorandum 2021/22:241 in the records.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2022/23:10 av Janine Alm Ericson (MP) och 2022/23:1299 av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V) yrkande 9 och lägger skrivelse 2021/22:241 till handlingarna.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag notes that the legitimacy of the annual reallocation of agency appropriations rests on it being transparent and predictable and therefore views positively that the government continuously works to increase transparency both in the model itself and in information about price and wage reallocation. Every year, agencies receive appropriations from the state budget to, among other things, finance wages and premises. Before each new budget year, the Ministry of Finance reallocates the appropriations so that agencies are not affected by price and wage increases in the outside world. The model for price and wage reallocation (also called PLO) was introduced approximately 30 years ago and the calculation is done automatically so that the state's role as employer is kept separate from the government's political priorities. For agencies to achieve productivity development at the level of the private service sector, a so-called productivity reduction is made. It is due to the National Audit Office's review of the PLO and productivity reduction that the government has submitted a memorandum. The review shows, among other things, that the built-in requirement for productivity has functioned as a steering signal for efficiency and that it has not prevented agencies from carrying out their tasks. The Riksdag filed the government's memorandum, that is, concluded the matter.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to abolish the productivity deduction and review the price and wage adjustment model for government agencies' appropriations. (V) — Reservation 1
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan directs explicit criticism at the constant pursuit of efficiency improvements in public operations and argues that it is primarily resources that are needed, not management models and quality forms.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan directs explicit criticism at the constant pursuit of efficiency improvements in public operations and argues that it is primarily resources that are needed, not management models and quality forms. The programme states that the public sector's share of the economy must be allowed to grow after decades of hollowing out. A built-in productivity reduction that year after year shrinks government agency budgets goes against this, so the demand to abolish the reduction and review the model is supported.
Original (Swedish)
Planen riktar uttrycklig kritik mot den ständiga jakten på effektiviseringar i offentlig verksamhet och menar att det främst är resurser som behövs, inte styrmodeller och kvalitetsformulär. Programmet slår fast att den offentliga sektorns andel av ekonomin måste få växa efter decennier av urholkning. Ett inbyggt produktivitetsavdrag som år efter år krymper myndigheternas anslag går emot detta, varför kravet att avskaffa avdraget och se över modellen stöds.
- criticism of the efficiency drivedecisive»Många år av privatiseringar och ständig jakt på effektiviseringar i arbetslivet, skolan, vården och omsorgen har påverkat både hälsa, vårdbehov och tillgången till vård negativt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Many years of privatisations and constant pursuit of efficiency improvements in working life, schools, healthcare and care have negatively affected both health, healthcare needs and access to care.”
- public sector must grow»Vänsterpartiet menar att den offentliga sektorns andel av ekonomin« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party argues that the public sector's share of the economy”
- resources before management models»Det är resurser som främst behövs, inte formulär för kvalitetssäkring« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is resources that are primarily needed, not forms for quality assurance”
- rebuild public staffing»Välfärdsskulden som uppstått innebär att hundratusentals jobb försvunnit ur skola, vård och omsorg sedan 1990-talet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The welfare debt that has arisen means that hundreds of thousands of jobs have disappeared from schools, healthcare and care since the 1990s”
The plan says nothing about the model for price and wage adjustment of authorities' appropriations.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan says nothing about the model for price and wage adjustment of authorities' appropriations. The closest commitments are that the state should be present throughout the country and that public resources should increase rather than be eroded. On this basis, the elimination of the productivity deduction and review of the model is supported in substance, but the plan also supports sound public finances, which is why certainty is low.
Original (Swedish)
Planen säger ingenting om modellen för pris- och löneomräkning av myndigheternas anslag. Närmast liggande åtaganden är att staten ska finnas närvarande i hela landet och att de offentliga resurserna ska öka snarare än urholkas. Utifrån detta stöds i sak att produktivitetsavdraget avskaffas och modellen ses över, men planen ger också stöd för sunda offentliga finanser, varför säkerheten är låg.
- state presence throughout the countrydecisive»Staten ska finnas närvarande i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The state should be present throughout the country.”
- increased public resources»Öka resurserna till välfärden i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase resources for welfare throughout the country.”
- sound public finances»Starka och sunda offentliga finanser är en nödvändig förutsättning för såväl tillväxt som välfärd.« (party programme ↗)“Strong and sound public finances are a necessary condition for both growth and welfare.”
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 price and wage adjustment as a model.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan says nothing about price and wage adjustment as a model. The closest commitment is that the system for allocating funds to universities and colleges should be changed so that high quality in education and research is ensured, which argues against a formulaic productivity reduction that erodes appropriations. On that basis, the plan weakly argues for the reduction to be abolished and the model to be reviewed.
Original (Swedish)
Planen säger inget om pris- och löneomräkningen som modell. Närmast liggande åtagande är att systemet för medelsfördelning till universitet och högskolor ska förändras så att hög kvalitet i utbildning och forskning säkras, vilket talar mot ett schablonmässigt produktivitetsavdrag som urholkar anslagen. Utifrån den principen talar planen svagt för att avdraget avskaffas och modellen ses över.
- changed fund allocationdecisive»medelsfördelning till universitet och högskolor ska« (party programme ↗)“allocation of funds to universities and colleges should”
- quality requires resources»Vi värnar om en hög kvalitet i den högre« (party programme ↗)“We value high quality in higher”
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 decisive commitment is that policy shall use taxpayers' money responsibly and that tax revenue shall be used sparingly, with a protected fiscal framework.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's decisive commitment is that policy shall use taxpayers' money responsibly and that tax revenue shall be used sparingly, with a protected fiscal framework. The productivity deduction is precisely the steering signal that keeps appropriation development in check and presses authorities to become more efficient. Abolishing the deduction therefore goes against the plan's requirement for an efficient public administration and budget discipline.
Original (Swedish)
Planens avgörande åtagande är att politiken ska hushålla med skattebetalarnas pengar och att skattemedel ska användas sparsamt, med ett värnat finanspolitiskt ramverk. Produktivitetsavdraget är just den styrsignal som håller anslagsutvecklingen i schack och pressar myndigheterna att effektivisera. Att avskaffa avdraget går därför emot planens krav på en effektiv statsförvaltning och budgetdisciplin.
- use tax revenue responsiblydecisive»Politiken ska hushålla med skattebetalarnas pengar. Mer pengar ska läggas på välfärdens kärna, mindre på bidrag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Policy shall use taxpayers' money responsibly. More money shall be spent on the core of welfare, less on benefits.”
- protected fiscal framework»Det finanspolitiska ramverket ska värnas och förstärkas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The fiscal framework shall be protected and strengthened”
- frugality with tax revenue»Beskattning begränsar dock människors självbestämmande, därför bör skattemedel användas sparsamt« (party programme ↗)“Taxation, however, limits people's self-determination, therefore tax revenue should be used sparingly”
- efficient public administration»Centerpartiets uppgift är att se till att staten gör det den är till för, så effektivt och rättssäkert som möjligt« (party programme ↗)“The Center Party's task is to ensure that the state does what it is meant to do, as efficiently and with as much legal certainty as possible”
The plan wants to drive a policy where efficiency is stimulated and emphasizes that space is created by more efficient resource use and stable public finances.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan wants to drive a policy where efficiency is stimulated and emphasizes that space is created by more efficient resource use and stable public finances. A productivity deduction in the appropriation calculation is just such a control signal, and abolishing it goes against the plan's line. The plan's demand for increased research appropriations and for predictability in the state's actions speaks partly for an overhaul of the model.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill driva en politik där effektivisering stimuleras och betonar att utrymme skapas av ett mer effektivt resursutnyttjande och stabila offentliga finanser. Ett produktivitetsavdrag i anslagsomräkningen är just en sådan styrsignal, och att avskaffa det går emot planens linje. Planens krav på höjda forskningsanslag och på förutsägbarhet i statens agerande talar delvis för en översyn av modellen.
- efficiency is stimulateddecisive»Vi vill driva en tillväxtpolitik där effektivisering« (party programme ↗)“We want to drive a growth policy where efficiency”
- stable public finances»Stabila offentliga finanser och låg statsskuld skapar utrymme för Sverige att möta kriser« (party programme ↗)“Stable public finances and low state debt create room for Sweden to meet crises”
- predictable state governance»När förutsägbarheten i statens agerande ökar stärks också den enskildes trygghet.« (party programme ↗)“When predictability in the state's actions increases, the individual's security is also strengthened.”
- increased research appropriations»Vi vill öka forskningsanslagen och både skapa bättre karriärvägar för yngre forskare och se riktade satsningar på att svenska universitet ska kunna locka hit världens främsta forskare.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to increase research appropriations and both create better career paths for younger researchers and see targeted investments so that Swedish universities can attract the world's leading researchers.”
The counter-proposal wants to abolish the productivity deduction in price and wage adjustment, seeing the model, which in practice raises authority budgets.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The counter-proposal wants to abolish the productivity deduction in price and wage adjustment, seeing the model, which in practice raises authority budgets. The party programme requires restraint in public spending and makes evaluation, cost tracking and quality control central political tasks, which speaks for maintaining an efficiency requirement. The plan's requirement for sufficient resources for research and education constitutes a counterweight but does not bear the vote.
Original (Swedish)
Motförslaget vill avskaffa produktivitetsavdraget i pris- och löneomräkningen och se över modellen, vilket i praktiken höjer myndigheternas anslag. Principprogrammet kräver återhållsamhet i de offentliga utgifterna och gör utvärdering, kostnadsuppföljning och kvalitetskontroll till centrala politiska uppgifter, vilket talar för ett bibehållet effektiviseringskrav. Planens krav på tillräckliga resurser till forskning och utbildning utgör en motvikt men bär inte voteringen.
- restrained public spendingdecisive»återhållsamhet i de offentliga utgifterna.« (party programme ↗)“restraint in public spending.”
- efficiency requirement and monitoring»Utvärdering, kostnadsuppföljning och kvalitetskontroll är därför viktiga politiska« (party programme ↗)“Evaluation, cost tracking and quality control are therefore important political”
- sufficient research resources»Alla ämnesområden måste garanteras tillräckliga resurser« (party programme ↗)“All subject areas must be guaranteed sufficient resources”
Abolishing the productivity deduction would remove a built-in efficiency signal in agency budgets.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
Abolishing the productivity deduction would remove a built-in efficiency signal in agency budgets. The plan goes in the opposite direction: an efficiency office shall go through all agencies' finances to free up resources for defence, public waste shall be combatted and the surplus target shall be protected. The counter-proposal's demand is therefore rejected.
Original (Swedish)
Att avskaffa produktivitetsavdraget skulle ta bort en inbyggd effektiviseringssignal i myndigheternas anslag. Planen går i motsatt riktning: ett effektiviseringskansli ska gå igenom alla myndigheters ekonomi för att frigöra resurser till försvaret, offentligt slöseri ska bekämpas och överskottsmålet värnas. Motförslagets krav avvisas därför.
- streamline agenciesdecisive»Inrätta ett effektiviseringskansli som ska gå inom alla myndigheters ekonomi för att frigöra resurser till försvaret« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Establish an efficiency office that shall go through all agencies' finances to free up resources for defence”
- combat public waste»Offentligt slöseri i alla former ska bekämpas.« (party programme ↗)“Public waste in all forms must be combatted.”
- protected surplus target»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 relevant to switch to a balance target.”
The counter-proposal wants to abolish the productivity deduction in authorities' price and wage adjustment.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The counter-proposal wants to abolish the productivity deduction in authorities' price and wage adjustment. The plan requires that waste in authorities is stopped, that unnecessary spending is scaled back and that every public investment provides clear citizen benefit, which presupposes continued pressure for efficiency. Removing an inbuilt efficiency signal goes against the plan's requirement for respect for taxpayers' money.
Original (Swedish)
Motförslaget vill avskaffa produktivitetsavdraget i myndigheternas pris- och löneomräkning. Planen kräver att slöseriet inom myndigheterna stoppas, att onödiga utgifter skalas bort och att varje offentlig satsning ger tydlig medborgarnytta, vilket förutsätter fortsatt press på effektivisering. Att ta bort en inbyggd effektiviseringssignal går emot planens krav på respekt för skattebetalarnas pengar.
- make authorities more efficientdecisive»Stoppa slöseriet inom myndigheterna och slå samman myndigheter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop waste in authorities and merge authorities”
- reduce public spending»Skala bort onödiga utgifter i det offentliga« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Scale back unnecessary public spending”
- requirement for results»Begära tydliga resultat för varje offentlig satsning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Demand clear results for every public investment”
- respect for taxpayers' money»Centralt för partiet är att respekt för skattebetalarnas pengar och strävan efter ett minimum av byråkrati« (party programme ↗)“Central to the party is respect for taxpayers' money and the pursuit of a minimum of bureaucracy”
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2022/23:FiU12)
- Committee report full text (HA01FiU12)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2022/23:10 — med anledning av skr. 2021/22:241 Riksrevisionens rapport om den årliga omräkningen av myndigheternas anslag av Janine Alm Ericson (MP)
- Motion 2022/23:1299 — En rättvis väg genom krisen - Vänsterpartiets budgetmotion för 2023 av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Regeringens skrivelse 2021/22:241 — Riksrevisionens rapport om den årliga omräkningen av myndigheternas anslag
Source: The Swedish Parliament