We risk ending up in a situation where, beyond all reason and sense, the inhabitants of the Stockholm region are punished with an extra tax that is both high, flat, and unfair, says Aida Hadzialic (S), finance region councillor in Region Stockholm.
For once, S and M are in complete agreement. They want to scrap the proposal for a new tax equalization system that was presented last summer.
In practice, Region Stockholm will be drained of multi-billion amounts, not primarily to support sparsely populated areas, but to support other metropolitan regions, says opposition region councillor Kristoffer Tamsons (M).
Simplified, the country's rural residents will benefit from the new proposal, while metropolitan residents will pay more than today.
The criticism has been harsh from Stockholm municipalities, which will have to contribute significantly more if the new proposal goes through. But Region Stockholm will also get a higher bill.
The proposal means that Region Stockholm will have to contribute an additional 2 billion kronor per year. Overall, the region's annual cost for the equalization system is expected to increase to around 10 billion kronor by 2029, equivalent to the operating cost of two emergency hospitals.
The whole country should thrive, but it must primarily be the state's responsibility to ensure that we have the conditions for equal welfare throughout the country. It cannot be the taxpayers of the Stockholm region who should bear that responsibility, says Hadzialic.
