The trilling laugh of Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum has been replaced by a serious mine. Again and again they have tried to dampen expectations for next year’s state budget. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has even warned his own party colleagues that there will be trouble. Electricity subsidies, Ukrainian refugees, increased pension expenses and increased expenses for construction projects mean that expenses grow far faster than income. The growth in expenses is 100 billion, Vedum could tell news. At the same time, the government is preoccupied with reducing the use of oil money. They have to tighten to meet an ever-increasing inflation. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) must tighten to keep inflation and interest rates down. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitstein / news These are the leaks from the budget: Kraft and salmon tax: At a press conference last week, the government presented a comprehensive tax measure that will be included in the state budget for next year. The government will introduce a ground rent tax for the aquaculture industry and increase the ground rent tax. They will also introduce a high price tax for power producers. Potentially, this will increase tax revenue by NOK 33 billion annually. Power saving: The government is introducing a six-point plan for power saving, news could tell on Tuesday. The list includes, among other things, NOK 1.1 billion for Enova, which will be used for electricity savings in Norwegian homes. Today, GPs receive a fixed sum for each patient, regardless of how old or sick the patient is. In the next state budget, the government will differentiate this. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news GP crisis: The government will give more in subsidies for elderly and sick patients, than young and healthy ones, to try to solve the GP crisis, news could report. Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol was able to tell VG on Wednesday that the government will spend NOK 690 million to strengthen the GP scheme. NOK 480 million will strengthen GPs’ basic funding from 1 May next year, NOK 200 million will secure the so-called alis scheme, and NOK 10 million will go to infrastructure for research into general medicine. Diesel prices: Finance Minister Vedum tells Dagbladet that the government will cut the diesel tax by a total of NOK 1.3 billion in the state budget. According to the newspaper, the tax cut will mean a reduction of around 50 øre on the pump price after an increase in the CO₂ tax and the tax on biofuel have been factored in. Transport: The Minister of Transport confirms to Aftenposten that they are pushing for a number of road projects, but also says that commissioned projects, such as the E18 west of Oslo, will not be postponed or cut, but will continue. Aid organizations demonstrated outside the Storting against aid cuts in the government’s first proposal for a revised national budget in May this year. Photo: Adra Norge Aid: The goal of giving 1 percent of the national income to aid will not be met, according to what news has learned. It was Vårt Land that reported the news first. The reason why they do not reach the target is the large oil and gas revenues. In 2016, a majority in the Storting agreed that 1 per cent of GNI (gross national income) should be used for aid. Free daycare: The government proposes in the state budget to provide free daycare to everyone who lives in Finnmark and Nord-Troms, several sources inform news. The government also wants those who live in the area to be able to write off their student loan more quickly than today. Scholarships for VGS students: The government will spend over NOK 100 million more on scholarships for VGS students next year. – Finances should not be an obstacle to having access to good education, says the Minister of Knowledge to VG and says they will increase the equipment grant and the living abroad grant for students in further education. Foreign students must pay: The government proposes that foreign students will now have to pay themselves to study in Norway, according to a case on news.no. Previous estimates cost the international students around NOK 3.5 billion a year. Queer and culture: Culture Minister Anette Trettebergstuen (Ap) has announced in Aftenposten that many of the concrete promises in the Hurdal platform in the cultural field will be put on hold. In 2022, approximately 0.9 per cent of the national budget went to culture. The share will not be higher in 2023. Support for queer organizations will be increased by NOK 15 million, almost doubling from 2022, writes news. Blomsterhavet the day after the shooting at the London pub in Oslo on the night of 25 June. Queer organizations now get increased support. Photo: Simon Skjelvik Brandseth / news Children and young people: According to VG, the government has set aside NOK 96 million extra for sports equipment and leisure activities for children and young people. Youth at work: The government announces that they will spend around 900 million on what they themselves call the youth pledge. Measures to get young people who are outside the workforce into work. The budget increase is distributed between the Ministry of Employment and Inclusion, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Care. The Ministry of Health and Welfare will use 300 million of this money on measures within addiction and psychiatry. NOK 150 million of this will go to low-threshold offers in the municipalities.
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These are the Støre government’s leaks from the state budget – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
