On Thursday, SV presented its alternative state budget. It is a bigger event than it may sound like: Since the government of Jonas Gahr Støre took office in 2021, it has landed the negotiations on the state budget with SV. In other words, we can learn quite a lot about the direction the budget will take before it is finally adopted by looking at SV’s priorities.
SV has expressed that the party is tired of rematches with the government over previous victories.
Not surprisingly, SV goes for more social equalization and for a clearer policy on climate and the environment in its budget. SV proposes a boost for single minimum pensioners, increased child benefit, extended free after-school services, more for students and public transport and cheaper dental health for several age groups, to name a few. The party will also give NOK 2.5 billion to cut emissions in industry through Enova, and tenfold the government’s proposal for nature purposes up to one billion.
In other words: SV will spend more money than the government on good causes, and must therefore also cut back on areas that will cause pain for the government. It is probably not the best starting point for agreeing.
On the other side: SV will spend the money on social measures, equalization and climate and environment. In other words, what a centre-left government, with support from the left, should prioritize. We take it for granted that the government and SV will agree this time as well, and that the government will not open to slaloming in the Storting and find a majority together with the right.
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It will require SV to gain too much influence. Now the government has put itself in a more difficult situation than necessary, as several climate winners SV have previously fought forward in negotiations, have been removed from this year’s budget. When the national budget was presented in the autumn, climate and nature were singled out as the losers. At the same time, it became clear that the government is not reaching the climate target it has set itself.
SV has expressed that the party is tired of rematches with the government over previous victories. We hope SV will bite that frustration. The government and the left are entering an election campaign year. Then it will be even more important that people agree on a national budget with a clear social profile, and which takes climate and the environment seriously.
We hope that the government will come to an agreement with SV this time as well, so that a good – if somewhat gray – starting point is lifted to something even better.
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