Greens push rich tax to finance schools
TT/The Local/og - [email protected]
Published: 16 Apr, 2014 CET.
Updated: Wed 16 Apr 2014 10:43 CET
Sweden's third largest party The Greens revealed its shadow budget on Wednesday, targeting schools and youth employment. High earners would have to pitch in more.
The Green Party (Miljöpartiet) revealed its budget on Wednesday, set to be financed in part by a 3-percent income tax increase for Swedes earning over 40,000 kronor ($6,090) a month. "We're laying out a fully financed budget with plans to get more people employed, especially the young, and in which we also take new steps to reduce our impact on the climate," Per Bolund, the party spokesman, told the TT news agency. "We also want to target the Swedish schools so that more people can leave with passing grades." The party aims to create 50,000 new jobs within education as part of its schools push. Bolund said they would inject 11.7 billion kronor ($1.8 billion) more into education in the next four years than the government has said it would. Elections will be held in September. Trailing only the Moderates and the Social Democrats, the Greens are Sweden's third largest party, claiming 7.3 percent of the votes in the 2010 election. In 2010, the Greens allied with the Social Democrats and the Left Party to offer a "Red-Green" alternative government coalition, but failed to sell the idea to voters. The three parties are now set to approach the elections on their own steam, but some type of cooperation in parliament would be necessary if the opposition was to form a government and secure enough seats to shore up legislative thrust.
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The Green Party (Miljöpartiet) revealed its budget on Wednesday, set to be financed in part by a 3-percent income tax increase for Swedes earning over 40,000 kronor ($6,090) a month.
"We're laying out a fully financed budget with plans to get more people employed, especially the young, and in which we also take new steps to reduce our impact on the climate," Per Bolund, the party spokesman, told the TT news agency.
"We also want to target the Swedish schools so that more people can leave with passing grades."
The party aims to create 50,000 new jobs within education as part of its schools push. Bolund said they would inject 11.7 billion kronor ($1.8 billion) more into education in the next four years than the government has said it would.
Elections will be held in September. Trailing only the Moderates and the Social Democrats, the Greens are Sweden's third largest party, claiming 7.3 percent of the votes in the 2010 election.
In 2010, the Greens allied with the Social Democrats and the Left Party to offer a "Red-Green" alternative government coalition, but failed to sell the idea to voters. The three parties are now set to approach the elections on their own steam, but some type of cooperation in parliament would be necessary if the opposition was to form a government and secure enough seats to shore up legislative thrust.
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