Venstre’s Guri Melby snorts at SV’s tax invitation. Now she invites Ap and Sp to a separate settlement – without SV.
– A tax settlement with SV, which only deals with principles and not the level of taxes, will go completely wrong, says Venstre leader Guri Melby Aftenposten.
Now the Liberal leader is sending a cold shower to SV’s national meeting. It will be held at Gardermoen this weekend. She invites the government parties Ap and Sp to a separate tax settlement – without SV.
The background is Kari Elisabeth Kaski’s attempt at tax diplomacy with the right wing in the Storting. Through Aftenposten on Thursday, she invited all parties in the Storting to enter into an agreement broad settlement broad settlementAgreement in the Storting, e.g. after processing a notification to the Storting from the government. That a settlement is broad means that several parties are involved, and preferably from both the right and the left. about tax.
Kaski believes it should be the natural follow-up of the government-appointed Torvik committee. It issued its report in December.
The government has promised to keep taxes at the current level. SV is of the clear opinion that they must rise. Otherwise, there will have to be sharp cuts in welfare, states Kaski.
A broad settlement on increased tax is needed to shield business from more tax shocks, the SV top believes.
– SV and Høyre will never agree on the rate of wealth tax. But we should be able to agree on some major changes to the tax system, said Kaski.
Rejects SV-invitt
But the attempt thus falls on rocky ground. Neither the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party nor the Liberal Party are interested in what Kaski has outlined.
Melby believes it is impossible to take the invitation from SV seriously. She refers to the interview with Kaski. There, Kaski clarifies that she will not give a majority to tax policy that SV is against anyway.
– I think that Kaski’s invitation is an attempt to appear constructive and welcoming, but without actually giving anything away, says Melby.
She says that the Liberal Party is willing to discuss “a settlement to avoid the negative effects of the government’s tax policy”. She believes that the policies pursued by the majority are in the process of making Norway less attractive to both Norwegian and foreign capitalists.
– I hope Ap and Sp will lean on others than SV for a possible settlement, says Melby.
– Kaski says she wants less tax on work and increased tax on inheritance, property, ground rent and environmentally hostile activity. So will the Young Liberals. Is it that bad?
– Much of this is also supported by the Liberal Party. And if this is what they carried out in practice, that would be one thing. But it is not. Increased employer’s tax, isn’t that the most direct tax on work you can have? They helped provide a majority this autumn.
Right: Demanding with SV settlement
The Conservative Party’s fiscal policy spokesperson Helge Orten says he is unsure how to interpret the invitation from SV.
– I read the interview with Kaski. It seems as if she wants a broad tax settlement based on SV’s tax policy. And that is not relevant, he says.
Orten emphasizes that the Conservative Party is positive about broad settlements in tax policy. It contributes to predictability for people and businesses, he states.
– Then the government and SV cannot continue to introduce new taxes and fees overnight and before they have been processed in the Storting. It only creates uncertainty and political risk, he believes.
He points out that the Conservative Party has several times taken part in broad tax settlements in the Storting. And that SV was outside the last two.
– The Conservative Party also needs income. You went in for 38 billion in increased taxes in the Conservative Party’s alternative budget?
– We also see that it is reasonable for municipal and county power companies, which now have extra large incomes, to contribute to the compensation schemes for high electricity prices. But we believe that the tax on Norwegian ownership must be reduced and do not support the increase in employer’s tax. We also reduced tax for those with the lowest incomes and increased child benefit.
FRP: No to tax settlement, yes to oil settlement
Kaski’s plan also receives a cold shoulder from Hans Andreas Limi. He is the Progress Party’s fiscal policy spokesman.
– I think I have both the citizens and the businesses with me when I say no thanks to increased taxes.
He also has a counterattack in store. He invites SV to a settlement to increase oil extraction and limit the costs of immigration.
– In 2022, the oil company Equinor alone paid as much tax as all other Norwegian companies combined. If SV agrees to a settlement on more oil exploration and lower costs for immigration, we can really talk about reducing taxes and fees, he says to Aftenposten.
Kjell Ingolf Ropstad is KrF’s fiscal policy spokesperson. He writes in an SMS to Aftenposten that he expects an invitation to a broad settlement.
“There is a great advantage with broad settlements in tax policy to ensure stable and predictable framework conditions for the business world. It is needed after many major tax changes this year with a lot of uncertainty about the duration of the changes, among other things.” he writes.
