Wants new billions for after-school care and dental health – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

Because the government, with the Labor Party and the Center Party, does not have a majority in the Storting and must negotiate with SV to get the national budget passed in the Storting. It is not until Monday that the two parties present their proposal for the state budget for 2025. SV is already coming with demands. – We want it to not cost more to go to the dentist than to the doctor. In this budget, we will ensure that those under the age of 30 get cheaper dental care, says SV leader Kirsti Bergstø to news. The party also wants to ensure that the older generation, people over 70, get the dental care they are entitled to in their municipalities. – Does this sound expensive? – It is to expand welfare. Then we have to expand the public dental health service, but also look at how we are going to regulate the private sector, says the SV leader. Received support And SV recently received support from an expert committee: Dental health should be made a part of the health service on an equal basis with other health care, according to the committee. They reckon that such a change has a total price tag of between NOK 4 and 13 billion. SV’s demand for a strong discount on dental health for people between the ages of 27 and 30 is calculated to cost around NOK 440 million. Cheaper dental health and a free after-school program for many have been at the top of the priority list for SV – the permanent budget partner – since 2021. This will also be the case this year. – We have managed to negotiate on the spot free time at SFO for the first, second and third graders. Now it is the turn of the fourth graders. Then the after-school reform will simply begin to be completed, says Bergstø. SV has also in previous budget rounds negotiated free core time in SFO. The scheme with free time also for fourth-graders can cost around NOK 1 billion. EXIT: SV left the government negotiations in Hurdal three years ago. Recently, SV leader Kirsti Bergstø was back to meet party members and talk about the success of the party outside of government. Photo: Kristian Skårdalsmo – Lack of people In the Labor Party’s election programme, which was recently presented, it is stated that Labor must “work for a more wholesome offer for the individual child, where school and after-school care are seen more clearly in context”. – The program proposal proposes that we blur the divide between after-school and school, that the school day becomes more wholesome, especially for the youngest pupils. Then the goal is for it to be free, said the leader of the program committee Tonje Brenna to Politisk kvarter on news måndag. LEADER OF NEGOTIATIONS: The leader of the finance committee Tuva Moflag from the Labor Party. Photo: Aurora Ytreberg meløe But the leader of the finance committee Tuva Moflag (Ap) is nevertheless skeptical of SV’s demand for even more free after-school care in the autumn budget. Because it is not primarily money that is lacking in SFO, it is people, she says. – We think that we now have to see if there are enough people to be able to pass on a good offer, says Moflag. – When we are going to develop welfare, we are concerned that we do it in a way that has good quality, and that ensures that those who work there have good working conditions, says the leader of the finance committee. She points out that Fagforbundet was recently on news and warned about tough working conditions in SFO. And when it comes to dental health, the Ap top points in a different direction from SV, which in the autumn therefore wants cheaper dental health for those under 30. Moflag refers to the expert committee that recently presented its report. – This dental health committee points to other groups than the youngest in its priorities. So it can be a good starting point to take with you further, she says. To negotiate throughout the autumn After the budget proposal from the government has been presented on Monday, SV will ask a number of questions to the Ministry of Finance about the basis of figures and calculations. The negotiations themselves will start at the turn of the month from October to November, after SV has first presented its budget with its priorities. The budget for 2025 must be adopted in the Storting before Christmas. Budget leaks from the government Police: The government is setting aside NOK 2.8 billion more to fight crime. Of this, NOK 2.4 billion goes to strengthening the police, which will increase the budget by 10 per cent. NOK 90 million is targeted at combating financial crime. NOK 405 million goes to the prevention of child and youth crime. Of this, NOK 145 million goes to more places for minors in correctional facilities. NOK 100 million goes to emergency teams and other school environment measures. The rest goes to various other smaller projects. Private finances: In June, Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) announced that people with ordinary and medium incomes will receive lower income tax next year. Exactly how much is involved is not known. The government is reducing the VAT on water and sewage from 25 to 15 per cent from 1 May next year. The full-year effect of the move is NOK 4 billion. The government will spend NOK 515 million on adjusting the free card limit from NOK 70,000 to NOK 100,000. This means that you can earn up to NOK 100,000 without paying tax. The government has also announced that the residents of the country’s 212 least central municipalities will have their student loans canceled with NOK 25,000 a year from January 2026. In Finnmark and Nord-Troms, which already have such a scheme in place, the rate for debt cancellation will be doubled from NOK 30,000 to NOK 60,000 a year. In total, this will cost approximately NOK 1.3 billion. The commuter deduction is increased, the basic deduction goes up by NOK 300 to NOK 15,250. The upper limit is increased from NOK 97,000 to NOK 100,880, and the mileage rate is increased from NOK 1.76 to NOK 1.83. Store employees will be allowed to shop more from their own workplace without having to pay tax for it. According to the finance minister, the government proposes to increase the limit for staff discounts – from today’s NOK 8,000 to NOK 10,000 in 2025 – FriFagbevegelse The maximum deduction for the trade union quota in 2025 will be NOK 8,250 – an increase of NOK 250 from 2024 – FriFagbevegelse The tax-free limit for letting housing under 30 days and holiday homes are increased from NOK 10,000 to NOK 15,000 – FriFagbevegelse Health: The government has promised a scheme to compensate hospitals for interest expenses and to compensate for depreciation costs (in connection with the National Health and Cooperation Plan). 26 million for health technology – the Alting The government promises to increase the hospitals’ budget framework by NOK 3.8 billion compared to the revised national budget for 2024. Energy: The electricity subsidy for households will also be continued next year. The Minister of Finance announced this in the Storting already in March. The government has also announced that the fixed price agreements on electricity for business will continue. The government allocates NOK 887 million for energy efficiency in housing in its budget proposal for 2025. This is a lower sum than in 2024. NOK 587 million is earmarked through Enova, while NOK 300 million is distributed via Husbanken’s grant scheme. Support cap of NOK 35 billion for floating offshore wind – DN Klima og miljø: The government is footing the bill for increased CO2 taxes on the fuel for fishing boats. In the budget proposal, the compensation for the fees is increased by NOK 153.6 million. 100 million extra for nature conservation – news Defence: In the new long-term plan for the Armed Forces, an investment has been included in the years up to 2036. The increase already started in this year’s revised budget, and the government has said that the defense budget will increase by a total of NOK 15 billion in the revised budget for 2024 and the state budget for 2025. Since the defense budget was increased by NOK 7 billion in the revised budget, it can therefore be assumed that there will be around NOK 8 billion more in the state budget. Support for Ukraine will be increased by NOK 12 billion already in this year’s budget. In addition, the framework for the following years will be increased, so that a total of NOK 135 billion will be provided until 2030. In the following years, at least NOK 15 billion will be provided annually. The Home Guard will be strengthened with 277 million in the state budget for next year. The money is distributed as follows: 124 million to train all Home Guard areas each year, 95 million for more HV soldiers, 31 million for more clothing and equipment, 16 million for paid posts to strengthen work in the HV areas and 11 million for more HV – youth offer – news Samferdsel: The government will spend 2.9 billion more to take care of the railway next year. NOK 6.6 billion more (26 per cent more than this year) will go to operation and maintenance. 5.5 billion more (38 per cent more than this year) will go to renewal – NOK 10.8 billion will be set aside for operation and maintenance of national roads in the state budget. That is NOK 1.1 billion more than this year. The budget for county roads is increased by 11.4 per cent – NOK 481 million. Culture: NOK 15 million for Det Norske Teatret – news Ministry of Culture: NOK 43.4 million in fresh funds – NOK 20.1 million from the state budget and NOK 23.3 million from tip funds – to increase the supply of literature for children and young people and contribute to an increased desire to read . 77 million for Jewish museum in Oslo – Dagen Government gives NOK 56 million to Skrei museum in Lofoten – news The government has promised a direct grant of NOK 3 million to the agricultural event Dyrsku’n in Seljord in next year’s budget. Still full VAT compensation for voluntary organisations. An extra NOK 210 million has been set aside for this. Education: 60 million for the development of practical teaching plans that teachers across the country can use to strengthen learning in mathematics, reading, science and writing. 30 million for a national program for practical learning (experience bank, pilot schools). 29 million more for equipment for practical learning, a total of 160 million in 2025. This pot was new in the 2024 budget, but is now being strengthened. 10 million for school libraries (continues the same level from the strengthening in the revised national budget 2024). Other: The government is setting aside NOK 114 million to strengthen foster homes. NOK 64 million will go towards securing occupational pensions for all freed-up foster parents, who do not have that right today. NOK 52 million for entrepreneurial ventures – Adresseavisen Increased amount limit for salary disclosure obligation from NOK 1,000 to NOK 2,000 – FriFagbevegelse NOK 10 million for a center that will research vocational subjects – Nettavisen Promises to SV: The government has also committed to measures that must be implemented in the budget for 2025 in the budget agreements with SV in recent years. These are among the promises that, according to the agreements, must be fulfilled in next year’s budget: The rights to dental health treatment in the public dental health service for people over 85 years of age must be strengthened. In the state budget for 2025 at the latest, the government must propose a scheme that supports the development and structural upgrading of crisis centers modeled on the Housing Bank’s scheme with investment subsidies for care homes and nursing home places. The government must set a target of 10 TWh reduced electricity consumption in the total building mass in 2030 compared to 2015 and report back to the Storting on this in connection with the state budget for 2025. In the state budget for 2025, the government must propose an ambitious support program for floating offshore wind areas in Vestavind B and Vestavind F. In the state budget, the government must provide an assessment of a possible subsidy scheme for long-distance buses on stretches without trains and corresponding commercial offers. In connection with the state budget for 2025, the government will propose to give light electric vans an exemption from traffic insurance tax, subject to notification and approval by Esa. (Source: NTB/news) Published 04.10.2024, at 06.16



ttn-69