– Everything has become so expensive, especially fruit and vegetables are very expensive. We can only afford to buy it frozen, says Jasmin Khayre, Emma Norlander and Maya Chhetri. The 23-year-old friends are enjoying the September sun in the center of Oslo, where they are sitting in a cafe with each a cup of coffee. – No, we can’t afford more than coffee. Everything has become so expensive. It goes beyond social life of course, but we still get a long way with coffee and good smiles, they say. The friends are right that everything has become more expensive recently. So far in 2023, Norway has had the highest price increase for food in Europe; an increase of as much as 11 percent. This is shown by the statistics from Eurostat, which is the EU’s statistical agency. The price increase is three times as high as the average in the EU countries. The EU average is 3.6 per cent, while our neighboring countries such as Sweden and Denmark have an increase of 3.9 per cent and Denmark 5.3 per cent respectively. DYRTID: The prices of groceries in Norway have increased sharply this year, and much more than in the rest of Europe Photo: Erik Waage / news Food researcher Ivar Pettersen at ALO Analysis believes that the strong price increase this year is due to a correction after a period of strong price competition between the grocery chains , including Kiwi’s price freeze campaign. – If we look at this in the long term, we are more or less in line with other countries. The development in Norway has lagged behind, and now we are roughly in step with the price development that has been going on for a long time in Europe, says Ivar Pettersen. Cut in food VAT Frp believes that the high price increase on food should prompt the government to introduce VAT cuts on food products. – Now Vedum and the government must wake up and see that it is necessary to do something about the food VAT, which the state earns a lot of money from. Let people keep more of their money themselves so they can afford food, says Frp leader Sylvi Listhaug. FRP will halve the food VAT, that is, it will be cut to 7.5 per cent compared to 15 per cent today. – It also helps to curb inflation, which is what helps drive interest rates up, says Listhaug. WANT TO CUT FOOD VAT: Frps Sylvi Listhaug wants to cut food VAT to bring down food prices. Photo: Johan B Sættem / news In the past, several people, including the LO confederation HK-Norway, have asked the government to cut the food VAT. A tax committee that presented a report earlier this year, on the other hand, will increase all VAT to 25 per cent, also on food and culture. Grocery chains take the profit Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) says the government has considered cutting food VAT, but that they believe it is not the right measure now. – The government is open to using tax policy to reduce costs for people, but then we have to be sure that it happens. With the unrest and unpredictability that is now happening in food, we are afraid that it is the grocery chains that would be left with the profit after a VAT cut, highlights Slagsvold Vedum. DON’T WANT: Sp has previously advocated cuts in food VAT. Now Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) does not believe that it is the right measure to help people Photo: Frode Meskau / news The Finance Minister has more faith in measures that are aimed especially at selected groups such as families with children and the elderly. – We believe that we can better help people with, for example, cuts in nursery prices or by increasing the pension. Then we know that it will come straight forward, he emphasizes. And back at the cafe, the friends aren’t sure that VAT cuts are the way to go now either. – The VAT money must be used for something. In that case, the politicians must find other places to take money from to cover it, they say.
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This year, food prices have increased more in Norway than in the EU – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
