Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg said in a radio interview on Saturday that:
- Fiscal policy needs to be tighter as the economy recovers after the downturn
- The government aims to raise 1 to 1.5 billion Swedish crowns from increased car & tobbaco tax, but: “I want to be clear in saying these are not the only taxes (that will be raised)”
- “In the period ahead and in the spring budget, we are going to put forward a number of bigger measures, because we believe that we need to make a number of investments, mainly in education and those need to financed, crown for crown.”
- Also warned that even after the coming budget the government would consider further tax hikes
- If it wins the election, Borg said the Alliance would focus on returning to a surplus and building up buffers
- “We absolutely do not plan to leave the 1 percent surplus target behind us … We are going to get there by 2018 and if the economy is stronger, then we will naturally have a slightly bigger surplus, and by that build the safety margins we need.”
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