SV has reacted strongly to the government’s proposal to spend around NOK 4 billion from international aid on receiving refugees from Ukraine in Norway. This is one of the most difficult nuts that means that the negotiations on a revised national budget are now going on overtime, say sources in all three parties to news. The government has had to endure massive criticism of the proposal – not only from the aid industry, but also from UN Secretary-General António Guterres and leaders in Amnesty International and the UN Development Program (UNDP). SV has basically demanded that not a single kroner from the international assistance be spent on receiving refugees in Norway. – We stand by what has been our starting point. It is that it should not be cut in aid, says SV’s Kari Elisabeth Kaski to news. – We believe there is no reason to do so. Norway is one of the richest countries in the world, with a huge profit right now due to the war in Ukraine. We should stand up for the world’s poorest, she says. – Big task The finance committee’s leader Eigil Knutsen (Labor Party) is leading the negotiations. – There are some aid nuts here, have you solved them? – There are no nuts that are loose before we are completely finished, he says to news. – But is it relevant for the Labor Party and the Socialist People’s Party to spend NOK 0 from international assistance on refugee reception in Norway, as SV has demanded? – I can not go into specific issues in the negotiations. But we will have a responsible plan. He says the distance was too “large in some areas” for it to be possible to reach an agreement on Friday, as the plan was for the governing parties. NEGOTIATION LEADER: APS fiscal policy spokesman Eigil Knutsen. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB – Does this take a long time? – It is a large and demanding scheme in the revised budget, precisely because the Storting has allocated so much money throughout the year to ensure preparedness, strengthen the Armed Forces and provide emergency assistance to Ukraine, says the Labor Party. – There is coverage for it, and the facility on the budget, which we work with, and which is a big task. – What is the deadline now? – The deadline was today at 10 o’clock, in the first instance. The committee will then present the case next Friday. Then the Storting will adopt a revised budget on Friday 17 June, says the finance committee’s chairman Eigil Knutsen. Demanding to find money But the problem is finding money to cover SV’s aid requirements, which are in the billions. The party itself has proposed increasing the wealth tax and cutting expensive motorway projects. The party has also not closed the door to increase the use of oil money, which has already increased by almost 30 billion in the revised budget. But sources in the governing parties, the Labor Party and the Center Party, largely reject SV’s proposal for coverage. The two parties do not want to change the tax system in a revised budget and refer to the fact that it should be done in an ordinary budget. SV, for its part, has pointed out that the Solberg government reduced the wealth tax in the revised budget. And the government has announced a major review of expensive highway projects first this fall. Also spending more oil dollars is a long way off, as it will lead to renewed criticism of irresponsible spending. However, since there is talk of increasing international aid, an increase in this area in isolation will not increase the pressure on the Norwegian economy, it is pointed out. And the governing parties may have an ace up their sleeve in the form of so-called budget changes. In practice, this means that the state receives more money than expected, in the form of, for example, income from electricity or taxes – money that can be used to “lubricate” the budget. In addition to assistance, the government is also under pressure to resolve the mess around the start of the construction of the Ocean Space Center in Trondheim. The government cut NOK 400 million for the project in this year’s budget and postponed the start-up. This has led to sharp reactions from several Labor politicians. But SV has said that the party will not clean up the matter in the negotiations.
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Full quarrel over aid billions – must negotiate overtime – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
