Finance minister Anders Borg took the annual Budget walk the other day, as he brought the Spring budget propositions from the Finance department to the Government building. This was his second budget walk during his time as Finance minister, a walk that isn’t more than 200 meters, but due to all the press asking questions along the way takes him 20 minutes to complete.
Here is a brief summary of the proposition:
Wealth taxes are being repealed this year.
Property taxes are being repealed and replaced with a community fee of 4500 crowns in 2008.
Income taxes for workers is lowered even further during 2008.
Lowered employer’s taxes in 2008, among other things the VAT accountability periods are going to be longer.
Extra support for communities that take in refugees.
Job guarantees for young people ages 16-24 from December 2007.
Half a billion crowns are invested in improving the environment in the Baltic Sea.
An “environmentally friendly car bonus†of 10 000 crowns is given to those who purchase such a car, starting in April this year.
500 million crowns is being put into improving the psychiatric care in 2008, and another 250 millions in 2009.
One billion crowns is put aside during 2008-2010 in order to develop vaccines against pandemics.
Half a billion crowns is being invested in environmental technology up until the year 2010.
