The parties are currently preparing the policy that Norway will govern by until 2030, a policy that is used as the basis for negotiations on the government platform. We are in challenging times, and the next few years will be even tougher. More and more of us are getting older and fewer are in work. We get more tasks to solve, but lack enough manpower. Activity on the shelf will decrease, and if we are to reach the climate targets in 2030, it must happen within the next parliamentary term. A strong country cannot have a weak business community. In the face of today’s challenges, Norway needs a strong business community. In a world of increased division and polarization, political stability is important. Framework conditions for business are more than taxes. But there is also tax. Rapid and surprising tax changes increase political risk. Ownership taxation, which entails an extraordinary burden on Norwegian owners, has detrimental effects on access to capital over time. I hope that, regardless of the color of the government, after the election in 2025, a broad tax settlement will be implemented in which, among other things, owner taxation will be reduced. A broad settlement is the only way to predictability going forward. What kind of framework conditions business gets will become more important in the future. Norwegian and European industry has challenges related to weak productivity growth, access to power, competent labor and capital. Party programs are not designed for crises. Party programs do not take account of rapid and radical changes that occur during a four-year period. But all governments have to deal with crises for which party programs and the government platform have no policy. Then it is required that you are able to adjust the map according to the terrain so that we are able to meet the new problems. At the same time, there are some well-known trends that policy must take into account. There are more and more armed conflicts in the world, including full-scale war in Europe. Europe and Norway are struggling with competitiveness, and the US is constantly pulling away from us. We have a completely new geopolitical situation where globalization is going in a negative direction, while regionalization is getting stronger. Our region is Europe, which cooperates in the EU. Norway’s association with the EU is through the EEA Agreement. Despite the experiences from Brexit, we have just as much strength in Norway who believe that we should cut our anchoring to the EU and terminate the EEA agreement. When there was war and an energy crisis after Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the gas supply to Europe was shut off, Norway showed both unity and strength, but also a lack of action and the necessary measures. Take energy policy as an example. Low electricity prices and prospects for large power surpluses were turned into record high electricity prices and prospects for power deficits. Nevertheless, it was not possible to create a collection to build out more power to ensure affordable electricity prices for families and industry. On the other hand, we experienced a historically broad agreement on defense policy. A joint Storting has guaranteed the defense of the country through a unanimous decision on the long-term plan for the defence. It ensures stability, predictability and security. Division and uncertainty around us make it more important to gather and predict here at home. At the same time, you must be able to adjust the map according to the terrain. Therefore, I hope that Norwegian politicians will find many more broad settlements on the big and important issues than what we have seen in recent parliamentary terms. Published 05.07.2024, at 05.53
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We need a broad tax settlement – Statement
