Left Party leadership wants to lower taxes for themselves

Dagens Nyheter reports on a contentious proposal by the Left Party (Vänsterpartiet) to reduce the party tax levied on its elected officials. This move, set to be debated at the party's congress in Örebro, aims to increase the net income of lawmakers, with a Riksdag member potentially seeing an extra 20,000 SEK per month.

The party tax, introduced in 2012, requires elected officials to contribute a portion of their salary to the party's coffers. The stated purpose has been to ensure that party representatives do not use their positions for personal enrichment and remain economically aligned with the general populace. However, the proposed reduction has drawn criticism from within the party.

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I want us to keep the system we have today.

Bore Sköld, a substitute member of the party board from Umeå, has reserved his position against the proposal. He argues that lowering the tax undermines the principle of elected officials experiencing economic conditions similar to those of ordinary Swedes. Several other members echo his sentiment, anticipating a heated debate during the congress.

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A few years ago, we realized that the calculation model introduced then led to fully compensated elected officials stagnating in their salary development.

Samuel Gonzalez Westling, a party board member and parliamentary group leader, defends the proposal by explaining that the calculation model for the tax, revised in 2021, inadvertently led to stagnant income development for fully compensated officials. The new proposal aims to adjust incomes back to the 2012 levels after tax. He clarifies that the intention has never been for elected officials to have the exact same conditions as everyone else, citing reasons such as time away from home and the need for stipends to prevent corruption.

The proposal involves changing the threshold for the party tax from 45 percent to 50 percent of a 'basbelopp' (income-based amount). For 2025 figures, this would mean 40,300 SEK remaining per month after tax, compared to the current 36,270 SEK. Sköld's reservation also points out that the proposal could lead to a loss of approximately 600,000 SEK in annual party revenue.

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The purpose of the party tax has never been for elected officials to have exactly the same conditions as everyone else. There are reasons why elected officials should have a slightly higher income than the average.