Latest news with #CentreParty
Local Sweden
2 days ago
- Business
- Local Sweden
Centre Party calls for Sweden to bring in a tourist tax
Centre Party business spokesperson Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist has called for municipalities in Sweden to be allowed to impose an additional tourist tax to compensate for the burden of tourism on infrastructure and municipal finances. Advertisement Thand Ringqvist, who in 2023 was one of the contenders to lead the party, said that following Norway's example and allowing municipalities to charge visitors a fee would increase local acceptance for tourism. "About 60 percent of each tourist krona goes to the state. We have one of the world's most centralised tax systems," she said in a debate on Swedish public broadcaster SVT with financial markets minister Niklas Wykman. "So that's why it's important to find different ways to make sure municipalities get something back back. A municipal fee that municipalities can decide themsleves together with local businesses can do that." Norway's parliament in June agreed to allow muncipalities to levy a 3 percent tax on hotel, Airbnb and hostel stays, and also to levy a tax on visiting cruise ships, after areas like the Lofoten islands and most popular fjords have been overrun by excessive numbers of tourists. In the debate, Wykman likened a tourist tax to a tax on alcohol or tobacco, saying the only reason to bring in such a tax would be if you wanted to reduce the number of tourists, which no municipality in Sweden would really want to do. But Thand Ringqvist countered that this reflected the Stockholm-based perspective of the finance ministry. Advertisement "I see this from [visiting] the gravel roads in the Jämtland mountains and from Öland and I hear what local people are saying," Thand Ringqvist. "The minister sees it from the finance ministry, and there it's hard to see the piles or rubbish, or the parking chaos, or the traffic jams people experience locally." "A municipality would never want to scare away tourists, this is about winning the support of local people and reducing the opposition to tourism in some places."
Local Norway
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Local Norway
Language requirement law passes vote in Norwegian parliament
MPs passed a version of the law, by a majority of 88 to 22, with MPs from the ruling Labour Party, the Conservative Party opposition, the Centre Party and the populist Progress party all voting in favour, and the other five parliamentary parties voting against. If passed the bill will mean that applicants for permanent residency no longer need to document that they have completed mandatory training in Norwegian language and social studies up to the most elementary A1 level, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). It will also change the law over the right to family reunion for children under the age of 18 to bring their, preventing residence permits from being granted to their parents if this might lead to bigamy. The bill will also abolish the au pair scheme for citizens of country's outside the EEU or EEA. Advertisement Since the Norwegian parliament abolished its second chamber in 2009, bills need to be voted on twice before they are passed, so that MPs have an opportunity to change their position, something which happens very rarely. The bill's second vote has yet to be scheduled, but it likely to be held before the parliament adjourns for the summer on June 20th.
Local Sweden
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Who would govern Sweden if an election were held today?
With just over a year to go until Sweden's next election, a key poll suggests that the centre-left Social Democrats may take a decisive leap forward. Advertisement If an election were held today, the Social Democrats would get 36.2 percent of the vote, according to number-crunching state agency Statistics Sweden's survey – a 5.9 point increase on the 2022 election. The ruling Moderates, on the other hand, would only get 18.3 percent, 0.8 percentage points down on the last election, although that decrease is not statistically significant. They would, on the other hand, by a tiny margin, claw back the spot as Sweden's second-largest party from the far-right Sweden Democrats, who would take the worst hit out of all the parties compared to the 2022 election, with a -2.5 point drop in support to 18 percent. 'The Swedish people are clear about wanting to see Magdalena Andersson as prime minister,' the Social Democrat's party secretary, Tobias Baudin, told the TT newswire. But he cautioned that the election, in September 2026, is still over a year off. 'This is a poll, but the decision will be made on election day. We're then going to lead the next government,' he said, saying the party wouldn't be resting on its laurels until then. The Sweden Democrats' deputy party secretary, Fredrik Lindahl, said voters would change their minds once his party's collaboration with the government starts to yield results. 'We think voters will see it and appreciate our alternative,' he told TT. Advertisement Out of the five smaller parties, the left side fared the best in the poll, with the Left Party claiming 7.1 percent of the vote and the Green Party 6.5 percent. The Centre Party – who is currently collaborating mainly with the centre-left – would get 5.5 percent. The two parties that also make up the right-wing government coalition, however, would not manage to get enough votes to make it across the four-percent parliamentary threshold. The Christian Democrats would get 3.4 percent and the Liberals 2.8 percent. This means that even if the Centre Party were to pull its reluctant support of the centre-left, or switch sides altogether, the left bloc would still win more seats than the right bloc. It's worth noting however that some of the smaller parties often poll below the parliamentary threshold in-between elections, but manage to secure enough votes on voting day. Statistics Sweden's party sympathy poll is only carried out once a year and is one of Sweden's biggest political public opinion polls. More than 9,000 voters were questioned between April 29th and May 28th.
Local Norway
04-06-2025
- Business
- Local Norway
Norway government agrees tax for areas hit by overtourism
The deal was struck after a group of mayors from the Lofoten islands travelled to Oslo on Monday to lobby the government and parliament after the parliament's business committee opted to limit the long-discussed tourist tax to visiting cruise ships. The three parties have a majority in the parliament, meaning the new tax was certain to be voted on when it comes before this parliament on Wednesday June 4th. "We have agreed on an effective model on visiting fees for areas with particular challenges, like the Tromsø region and the Lofoten Islands," the Centre Party MP Erling Sande, who leads the business committee, told the TV2 broadcaster . The tax will be levied on accommodation and cruise ships, but not on caravans, motorhomes, recreational boats or camping. Municipalities will be eligible to levy the tax if they can document "real pressure on infrastructure". Sande said the details over what would count as "real pressure" still needed to be finalised. "There are a handful of areas in our country. We see it in the Tromsø region, we see it in Lofoten, and there are some other places around the country where there is a particularly high load." The government's original plan for a 3 percent tax on accommodation was dropped by the committee last Wednesday at the last minute, with the committee instead opting to limit the tax to cruise ships. The government had already reduced the proposed rate for the accommodation sector from 5 to 3 percent this spring, bringing it in line with taxes in many European cities, but had left out cruise and campervan tourists. READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Norway's planned tourist tax Advertisement Municipalities were then, as now, granted discretion over whether to implement the tax, but the focus of the tax still drew anger from some business groups for missing its intended targets. Six mayors from Lofoten travelled to Oslo on Monday to try to revive the tourist tax on accommodation, as they did not believe that a cruise tax would be enough to solve the problems with overtourism in their communities.
Local Norway
03-06-2025
- Business
- Local Norway
LISTED: Six new laws that need to be passed in Norway before summer
Close to 200 matters are scheduled for debate and decision up to the parliament's summer break, making this one of the most demanding legislative periods of the term. Several of these proposals and amendments, which are expected to be finalised and voted on in the coming weeks, will have a notable impact on life in Norway. READ MORE: Nine unmissable events in June 2025 New Kindergarten Act (June 3rd) A majority in parliament has reached an agreement on a new Kindergarten Act. The reform aims to change governance and financing rules, with the goal of ensuring greater transparency, higher quality standards, and improved financial oversight in both public and private kindergartens. Interested in finding out more about what makes kindergarten in Norway different? These are some of the biggest surprise s reported by foreigners bringing up children in this Scandinavian country. Motorhome driving license reform (June 3rd) New driving rules would allow holders of a standard Class B license to drive motorhomes weighing up to 4.25 tons, up from the current 3.5-ton limit. This change is backed by a parliamentary majority and is expected to benefit tourism and domestic travel. EXPLAINED: The ways you can lose your driving licence in Norway Advertisement Expanded dental care access (June 4th) A proposal supported by the Labour Party, the Centre Party, the Socialist Left Party, and the Red Party aims to extend free dental care from age 25 to 28. The plan also calls for a gradual expansion of public dental services, marking a step toward more comprehensive healthcare coverage in Norway. If you're wondering how dental care in Norway is structured at the moment, how much it costs, and what you should expect, check out this explainer . Tobacco regulations (June 4th) The Storting is expected to adopt stricter tobacco control measures, including a ban on smoking at playgrounds, sports facilities, and inside vehicles with children. The changes aim to strengthen protections against second-hand smoke exposure for minors. Advertisement Tourist tax (June 4th) A proposal to introduce a municipal tourist tax will be under review. Although a final agreement on the model has not been reached, there is growing parliamentary support for allowing municipalities to impose local fees to offset the environmental and infrastructural costs associated with tourism. Still, there isn't a clear majority in favour at the moment. The Local has a deep dive into the latest tourist tax developments in Norway, which you can find here . READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Norway's planned tourist tax Consent Act (June 5th) A new law defining rape based on lack of consent rather than use of force is set to pass with broad cross-party support. This represents a landmark shift in Norwegian criminal law, aligning with international human rights recommendations. Advertisement Revised national budget (June 20th) Finally, the 2025 revised national budget will be finalised by June 20th. Key sticking points include the Centre Party's demand for reduced food VAT and the Socialist Left Party's call for universal free kindergarten. These negotiations will likely influence fiscal policy well into the next term. You can find all the proposals that will be up for consideration in June on the parliament's website, here .
