Tax, customs and execution

Boriana Åberg (M)

Madam Speaker! This year's Nobel Prize in Economics went to the researchers Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson for their studies on the importance of institutions for the prosperity of a country.

Without having any claims whatsoever to future recognition, I want to emphasize how important the three institutions Skatteverket, Tullverket and Kronofogden, whose appropriations we are debating today, are for Sweden. If these agencies did not function well, it would be devastating for Sweden's prosperity.

The Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Customs Service, and the Swedish Enforcement Authority are responsible for central societal functions and make significant efforts so that we who live in Sweden can have a good and secure life. We who live legally in Sweden, I should have said, given that one of the Swedish Tax Agency's most important tasks is to ensure that the population register is correct.

These three authorities contribute to our safety, for example through the Customs Service's efforts to stop the illegal import of weapons and drugs.

They contribute to competition on a level playing field, so that hardworking and industrious entrepreneurs who do the right thing are not outcompeted by those who use black labor and smuggled goods.

They ensure that we behave correctly and pay our taxes and debts to the state and others.

Madam Speaker! The first national population profile was presented this summer as part of the census. In the future, population profiles will also be presented at regular intervals.

Our authorities must, of course, know which persons exist and operate in Sweden. This knowledge is fundamental to having order and tidiness in our country, which is still plagued by system-threatening crime. This knowledge is also necessary to be able to combat the criminal economy and all incorrect payments that rob society of billions of kronor every year. Estimates show that the criminal economy amounts to 100-150 billion kronor every year.

Some of these billions could have gone to welfare, defense, the justice system, and other important things instead of ending up in the pockets of criminals or other unscrupulous people, for example, those who have emigrated but who continue to receive payments from the social security systems. Even deceased persons have been able to continue receiving pensions year after year without it being noticed. Therefore, it is important to have a correct population registry.

Tax, customs and execution

Madam Speaker! The Swedish Customs Service is on the front line in the fight against the criminal economy. Among other things, the Swedish Customs Service has a key role in stopping the importation of illegal weapons and drugs, which cause enormous human suffering and great costs for society.

The government has therefore increased the Swedish Customs Service's powers, including the right to use force and carry weapons in several situations. It is not reasonable for the Swedish Customs Service's officials, who are confronted with serious criminals, to be unprotected.

When a container of drugs is seized, it represents large values for the crime syndicates, and they do not hesitate to use deadly violence, especially not when they know that the customs personnel are unarmed. This is quite logical, but it took a moderate-led government to turn that resistance against armed customs officers that the previous government exhibited every time the issue was raised.

Speaking of containers with narcotics, I want to draw attention to the seizures made by the Swedish Customs in Helsingborg. Since the turn of the year, nearly 870 kilos of cocaine have been found in hidden compartments in containers in the port of Helsingborg. That is more cocaine than the Swedish Customs seized in the entire country during last year.

Two conclusions can be drawn. The first is that Sweden is a transit country for drug smuggling, largely due to deficient legislation and low penalties that do not deter criminal gangs, something that, thank goodness, is being addressed by the government. The second conclusion is that the Customs Service's successful work saves many resources for society and much human suffering by stopping drugs and illegal weapons from entering the country.

Madam Speaker! In August 2022, expanded possibilities entered into force for the Swedish Enforcement Authority to seize property remotely via the police and without the debtor needing to be suspected of a specific crime.

This means, for example, that if the police stop a vehicle in a routine police check, the car and the driver's watches, cash, gold jewelry, designer clothes, and expensive bags can be seized by the police on the spot if the driver is listed with the Enforcement Authority (Kronofogden), which many criminals are. They are listed with the Enforcement Authority for unpaid damages to crime victims, unpaid taxes, unpaid maintenance support, unpaid parking fines, and so on.

During 2023, the Swedish Enforcement Authority (Kronofogden) seized property worth 93.3 million kronor with the support of the tightened rules. This shows how effective the authority is in the fight against criminals.

Foreclosure also has a preventive effect by counteracting the lure of children being drawn into a life of crime with the help of the branded clothes, the gold, and the watches that criminals wear.

Madam Speaker! I want to mention the Enforcement Authority's special unit in Malmö, which was the first to notice the crimes involving multiple-pledged condominiums. It is a criminal scheme that not only risks ordinary people's finances but which, in the long run, can also lead to the collapse of the entire housing and credit market. This will now be prevented through the establishment of a condominium register.

Preventing debt is another of the Enforcement Authority's missions. Society's costs for over-indebtedness amount to tens of billions of kronor. It is worrying that young people start their lives with debts, and it is extra worrying that young women's median debt has caught up with that of young men.

Over the last ten years, the total debt amount among young people has increased by 50 percent. This is largely due to low knowledge of personal finance as well as the fact that it is easy to shop on credit. As part of the preventive work, the Swedish Enforcement Authority (Kronofogden) uses research and offers school materials for upper secondary school.

Statistics show that persons with a foreign background are overrepresented in having debts with Kronofogden. In many cases, the over-indebtedness can be due to a lack of knowledge about the Swedish economic and legal system.

The Government has submitted a bill to the Riksdag with proposals aimed at countering risky lending and over-indebtedness. The bill proposes, among other things, stricter rules on interest and cost caps and the possibility of extending a credit.

Madam Speaker! We won the Swedish people's trust for our promise to fight crime. We are keeping our promise. In addition to all legislative proposals within the justice system, which are not the subject of this debate, successful joint agency interventions against serious organized crime are being carried out.

It is efforts where the Swedish Enforcement Authority, the Swedish Tax Agency and the Swedish Customs Service are key actors.

It is measures aimed at striking at criminal actors' private finances, grants, and business activities.

It is efforts that have led to seized assets, stopped payments, increased tax amounts, and deregistered companies.

These joint agency efforts have resulted in, among other things, in:

Skatteverket's decision on increased tax - 241 million kronor

by the Enforcement Authority secured and auctioned assets of 55 and 79 million kronor respectively

seizure of cash and assets for 50 million kronor

Furthermore, false identity documents in connection with applications for residence permits

prevented payments from Försäkringskassan and Arbetsförmedlingen totaling 63 million kronor so far, as the fight against organized crime continues with full force.

Madam Speaker! Finally, I would like to mention that the Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Customs Service, and the Swedish Enforcement Authority receive good results in confidence surveys and have a high reputation among the Swedish people. It is very well-deserved. I move for approval of the committee's proposal.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ilona Szatmári Waldau (V)

Madam Speaker! Let me quote the budget bill under this expenditure area: "The Swedish Customs Service's work to counter the criminal economy needs to be further strengthened. The Swedish Customs Service needs to, among other things, increase staffing, acquire additional technical equipment for control activities (e.g. scanners) as well as equipment for the purpose of strengthening the protection for customs officers. The reinforcement also includes the implementation of the proposals in the bill New Customs Powers Act (prop. 2023/24:132) which, among other things, means increasing the safety of customs officers as well as strengthening the Swedish Customs Service's control activities and crime fighting."

So that is what it says in the budget bill. But despite that, the government parties and the Sweden Democrats are presenting a budget that does not give Tullverket the room that the agency needs.

The trade union Tull-Kust comments on the government's budget as follows: "The increase in appropriations means that the important reconstruction of the customs operations cannot continue at the necessary pace. - - - With this, the government places obstacles in the way of its own ambitions to push back gang crime, which is not only difficult to understand but also extremely serious and purely harmful to the crime-fighting work." So say those who themselves work within the Swedish Customs.

My question to Member Boriana Åberg is why Tullverket does not receive a sufficient budget to be able to meet the requirements of the crime prevention work. The Member herself said in her speech: Tullverket is on the front line in this work. Nevertheless, it does not receive sufficient resources.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Boriana Åberg (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Ilona Szatmári Waldau, for the question!

We have allocated 140 million in increased appropriations to counter the criminal economy. I know that Vänsterpartiet, in its budget, has been more generous than the government is. But it is very easy for Vänsterpartiet to be generous, as if one had a printing press. They promise everything to everyone. At the same time, one does not ensure that any new revenues will come to the state in any way other than through increased taxes for those who work.

When it comes to the successful fight against crime, the legislation also plays a very large role. When it comes to all the increased penalties and all the improvements for the authorities' possibilities to take up the fight against organized crime, Vänsterpartiet has stood on the other side. Vänsterpartiet has always opposed the proposals that the government has put forward.

Ilona Szatmári Waldau is welcome to explain: Why is that? Is it just a lip service, or do you really believe that one can say no to increased penalties and at the same time combat crime?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ilona Szatmári Waldau (V)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Boriana Åberg, for the answer!

It was very much of a non-answer. I received no answer as to why Tullverket does not receive a sufficient budget, other than that the government simply does not have enough money, which is what the Left Party thinks because we have a printing press.

No, we actually don't. We have a different tax policy. We collect taxes to distribute to the activities that need it and to the welfare system. The Moderates have a tax policy that aims to lower taxes, and therefore one does not have enough money. It is that simple.

The Swedish Customs itself said that they needed 471 million more for 2025. One says, for example, as follows: "With new legislation follows a need for increased resources so that we can implement the new legislation." So says the Director General of Customs.

Boriana Åberg refers here to the fact that we are introducing new legislation, and it will play a major role. But Customs itself says that it will not be possible to implement the new legislation.

One will not have any use of it if one does not receive resources to be able to train their employees and to be able to retain their employees. There are very many parts in this that I do not have time to go into during the 30 seconds I have left of my speaking time.

No, Vänsterpartiet has not voted no to, for example, the new law or any laws concerning Tullverket. We have also, for several years, allocated more money to Tullverket in our budget than the government has done in its budget.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Boriana Åberg (M)

Madam Speaker! The government has increased the appropriation to Tullverket. That is a fact. One can read the budget and state that. That one cannot always meet all requests is a matter of adapting to reality. The Left Party never needs to take that into account, because the Left Party never needs to take any responsibility. That is not what the party does either.

The government has had the priority of combating inflation and stopping the cost increases. The government has prioritized the work line. It is about more people getting to work and more people generating tax revenues that can be invested in, among other things, the Swedish Customs Service (Tullverket). One must not forget that the serious organized crime began to be fought for real when our government took office with increased penalties and with new legislation.

When Ilona Szatmári Waldau boasts about the support that has been given to the Swedish Customs, what is the position on the increased surveillance and the possibility of using weapons in more situations than before? What did the Left Party do then?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ida Ekeroth Clausson (S)

Madam Speaker! Today we are debating expenditure area 3 Tax, customs and execution.

The SD government has now governed Sweden for more than half a mandate period, and it is clear that the government has not succeeded in solving Sweden's problems. Gang violence is creeping down into the younger ages, the government has created a national healthcare crisis, unemployment is at a record high, and Sweden's growth is among the worst in all of Europe.

If one listens to the SD government, one could get the impression that reality is something else. But the grocery basket is still very expensive, rents have skyrocketed, the wallet empties quickly, and housing construction has come to a complete standstill. I could go on for a long time listing everything that is going the wrong way in the SD government's Sweden.

In our country, we finance our welfare and security collectively. A fundamental prerequisite for this is that the authorities tasked with ensuring the financing of the public sector are characterized by efficiency and accuracy and enjoy a high level of trust from the public and businesses.

Tax evasion and tax avoidance damage trust in our systems and erode the common welfare. All efforts made to combat tax evasion and tax avoidance are beneficial and should continue to be prioritized. The responsibility rests on us to ensure that the welfare has the funds required to deliver healthcare, care, and education year-round and throughout the entire country.

For that, taxation based on ability to pay and a constant ongoing effort to close loopholes that enable tax evasion and tax avoidance are required. Tax evasion, tax crimes, and undeclared work threaten our social cohesion and erode the funding of our common welfare and security. It also risks challenging the legitimacy of the entire tax system.

Exactly how large the tax loss is in Sweden has not been established, but estimates suggest that it involves many billions of kronor per year that disappear from the state treasury. These are funds that we could use for welfare, the police, or the defense. Every tax krona must be used effectively. To act powerfully for this is an important political priority for us Social Democrats.

Madam Speaker! Unfortunately, the brutal gang violence and insecurity continue to spread in our country. Sweden is becoming both poorer and more dangerous. The violence is creeping further down into the ages, eating further into society and affecting people's everyday lives. We are reached time and again by news of new shootings, new explosions and new boundaries that are crossed.

Initiatives across the entire justice chain are completely necessary but far from sufficient. What is required are urgent measures here and now, also to break the new recruitment and stop the shootings.

We Social Democrats want to continue to improve the exchange of information between authorities to facilitate the work. We also see that the work of the Swedish Tax Agency and several other relevant authorities to combat crime in the labor market needs to be strengthened. Crime in the labor market affects the individual worker who is exploited under appalling conditions. It affects the entire labor market and distorts competition to the detriment of serious companies.

Labor crime is a part of organized crime, and the entire society needs to mobilize to combat this grave organized crime. In that work, Skatteverket, Tullverket, and Kronofogden have a very important role. The authorities need to cooperate more with each other and with other authorities to combat all types of crime. Tullverket has a decisive role in stopping drugs and firearms from being brought into the country, and it is very important that Tullverket can continue to strengthen the crime-fighting work.

To strengthen our borders, we Social Democrats began a substantial expansion of Tullverket. Between 2017 and 2021, resources increased by over a third, and hundreds more were employed. We also initiated a major effort to review all of Tullverket's powers so that the agency would receive better and more up-to-date tools to make our borders and, thereby, our society safer.

But more needs to be done. The Social Democrat-appointed Customs Powers Inquiry submitted its final report last year, and there is now a new law - the Customs Powers Act. We welcome that customs officers are given new and expanded powers within the control activities and the crime-fighting activities.

Madam Speaker! There must be order and clarity in our registers. Inaccuracies in the population register create major problems for the entire society. The data in the population register forms the basis for other authorities' decisions. The Social Democratic government implemented a change of course in the work with the population register. It began with the reintroduction of the population register offense, which was removed by the previous Moderate-led government.

But that is not enough. In a new report from the Swedish National Audit Office, *Who is that - establishing identity at state agencies*, their overall assessment is that the agencies' efforts are not sufficiently effective to ensure that a correct and unique identity is established. The deficiencies can entail risks for identity-related crime, threats to Sweden's security, and incorrect payments from our welfare systems.

Here, the Swedish National Audit Office recommends, among other things, in consultation with Statens servicecenter, that relevant staff be offered sufficient training to establish identity in cases concerning population registration and applications for coordination numbers. Therefore, it does not feel good that the government has now reduced the appropriation to Statens servicecenter.

The third authority under the Committee on Taxation, the Swedish Enforcement Authority, unfortunately testifies to new records and increased debts. When a record number of children are evicted in Sweden, when every third Swedish family with small children has borrowed money to manage a normal Christmas celebration with Christmas bread, food, and some Christmas presents, and when Sweden has the highest child poverty in the Nordic countries, then the government reduces support to the most vulnerable families with children, even though these families' economic situation has not improved in the slightest. Instead of tackling the societal problems, giving ordinary people more money in their wallets, prioritizing growth, and putting the Swedish economy back into gear, the government puts all its effort into implementing an exclusive tax cut that only hits the richest percent.

I mean that it is not only immoral but also bad growth policy. If you want to get Sweden moving, investments in the public sector and in giving ordinary people more money in their pockets are more effective.

Madam Speaker! The tax policy that Sweden pursues lays the foundation for our social construction, and for us Social Democrats, it is a tool to create justice, finance the welfare, and ensure that all people, regardless of background, get a reasonable chance to live a good and meaningful life.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Boriana Åberg (M)

Madam Speaker! I had not intended to request the floor, but when Ida Ekeroth Clausson began describing child poverty as a result of the government's policy, I felt compelled to ask a question and clarify one thing.

The reason why many people in Sweden have had worse finances and why real wages have been eroded is inflation. Inflation was very high when the government took over after the Social Democrats' rule. I do not want to say that everything was the Social Democrats' fault, but a part was therefore caused domestically. During the last two years, the government has lowered inflation from over 10 percent to below the limit of 2 percent. They have stopped the increases in prices. This is what the government has prioritized, and it has truly helped people to better finances.

During that time, families with children have received large supplements to their finances, including with temporarily increased housing allowances.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ida Ekeroth Clausson (S)

Madam Speaker! The truth is that over-indebtedness in Sweden is increasing. Child poverty is highest in Sweden in the entire Nordic region. It is nothing that the government should be satisfied with. One gladly mentions inflation, but it has hit the entire world. Inflation has decreased just as much in our entire surrounding world. It is not just because the government has pursued a certain policy that inflation has decreased in Sweden.

While the countries around us have supported families with children who have had it extra difficult, for example by helping with increased child allowance, the government has chosen not to do so. There was some talk about the increased housing allowance, and that was good. It was something we introduced. But it has been chosen to be removed in this budget, even though the families with children are having it just as difficult.

We Social Democrats think it is tricky, in the situation that Sweden faces, to direct a tax cut solely to those who earn over 65,000 kronor a month. How can it be reasonable and a correct priority at the same time as the government cuts support to the poorest families with children?

The government says at the same time that they cannot afford to strengthen healthcare in this situation. There are record numbers of warnings in Swedish schools, but they can afford to lower taxes exclusively for those who earn the most. It is tricky.

It is moderate politics to say that there should always be carrots for people who earn a lot. They should get tax cuts for working more. But those who have small margins should, on the other hand, have reduced unemployment insurance to work more, and they should have reduced sickness insurance if they happen to get sick. How can that be a reasonable policy?

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Boriana Åberg (M)

Madam Speaker! I notice that the debate has shifted into a debate on tax policy. We Moderates believe in the work line. We believe that true prosperity comes only through more hours worked. We do not believe, as the Social Democrats do, that more benefits, extra benefits, and more benefits lead to anything good.

I am proud that we are driving the issue of the work line. Many people will feel much better when they take the step from benefits to work. I have seen far too many who have become stuck in benefit traps and lost their self-confidence, and their vision of a better future has only been a lottery win. It is something that the Social Democrats have not been late to exploit by selling their companion tickets.

When Ida Clausson sympathizes with the families with children, perhaps she can think of all those families with children that the Social Democrats have sent to the Enforcement Authority because they have bought Kombilotteriet's lottery tickets on credit.

Does Ida Clausson think about these families with children regarding an apology or even tell them that she intends to repay the money that the families with children so much need?

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ida Ekeroth Clausson (S)

Madam Speaker! We are debating the expenditure area Tax, Customs and Execution. It does not feel very complicated that we end up in a discussion about what tax policy we should pursue in Sweden.

Sweden has Europe's lowest growth. The number of bankruptcies is the highest since the 90s. Investments are being paused now that the government is wasting decades of climate policy. Unemployment is the highest in ten years. Youth unemployment is over 25 percent. One in four young people in the labor market is unemployed. And Boriana Åberg talks about the work line. I do not see where it is because so many are unemployed.

For us Social Democrats, it is important that there is a safety net for those who do not have work, and the policy should bring people back into work.

Let us go back to the question of over-indebtedness. We Social Democrats have presented proposals for a debt relief to support households through the crisis. We have also proposed tougher measures against lending companies, state start-up loans for young people, and an investment in consumer guidance. This, however, was voted down.

It is good that one has to some extent moved forward with the proposals from the Over-indebtedness Inquiry, but one chooses not to move forward with the proposal on how the loans should be settled, whether the interest should be settled or not - even though the Enforcement Authority itself considers that the proposal would be good for the debtors.

We have also wanted to introduce a national debt register, which was gladly voted through last week. But the government parties chose to vote against it.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Eric Westroth (SD)

Madam Speaker! Today we gather in the Committee on Taxation to debate expenditure area 3 and the resources to be allocated to the agencies falling within this area: Skatteverket, Tullverket, and Kronofogdemyndigheten. These agencies are important cornerstones for our society's functionality and security, and it is our duty to provide them with the right conditions to carry out their missions.

I want to begin by highlighting the societal development we have seen in Sweden during the last decades. Despite the recent high inflation and price increases that have not kept pace with wage development, material prosperity has increased, and technological advances have made life easier for many.

At the same time, another, significantly darker development has occurred in parallel. Crime and insecurity are spreading in our country, and the negative trend has had consequences that affect us all. Organized crime has spread like a cancerous tumor and now affects people's everyday lives in places such as streets, squares, schools, and workplaces that previously felt safe. It has even spread to our neighboring countries, which are now forced to handle criminals from Sweden who intend to commit the same crimes in Denmark and Norway as they do in Sweden.

In Sweden, bombings and shootings have become almost daily features in news reporting. Even emergency services personnel, who are our first line of defense during crises, have become targets in the criminal gangs' violent power struggles.

It is in light of this that we must understand the significance of the three authorities. At first glance, it may seem that their primary mission – to ensure financing of the public sector – has no direct connection to crime fighting. But the truth is that their work is a central part of our society's defense against crime. They function as bulwarks against economic crime, welfare fraud, and other illegal activities.

Madam Speaker! For the 2025 budget year, the government, in cooperation with the Sweden Democrats, proposes an appropriation of just over 14.8 billion kronor for expenditure area 3. It may appear to be a reduction from the previous year, but last year, those pensioners born in 1957 were compensated with an increased basic deduction of 3.2 billion kronor. This was something that the previous government simply missed during the pension change decided before the 2022 election. If the one-time compensation is deducted, the expenditure area's appropriation increases by just over 1 billion kronor. This means a record-large supplement to both the Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Customs Service, and the Swedish Enforcement Authority. These resources will enable important improvements and investments within their respective operations.

Madam Speaker! The Swedish Tax Agency has several crucial missions beyond ensuring that the correct tax is determined and paid. One of its most important functions is to combat tax fraud and tax evasion, phenomena that undermine trust in our system. But its work extends further than that. The agency also has the responsibility to ensure that payments from the welfare systems are made on correct grounds.

Fraud within the welfare system is at least as serious as tax crimes. It concerns money intended to support the most vulnerable in our society but which instead ends up in the pockets of fraudsters. Therefore, it is crucial that Skatteverket has the resources and powers required to audit and ensure that the system is not misused.

Another of the Swedish Tax Agency's central functions is the population registration. For society to function effectively, we must know who lives in the country, where they live, and who no longer have the right to stay here. It is not just about ensuring that taxes are distributed correctly between municipalities, but also about preventing people from exploiting our welfare system or living in shadow societies where they run the risk of being exploited.

Another type of incorrect population registration is when people are registered as residents in Sweden even though they can actually be considered to be residing abroad. Here, the risk is high that these persons receive benefits from the Swedish welfare system that they are not entitled to. This is a type of welfare crime that is very difficult to detect and resource-intensive to combat.

We have historically noticed cases in the media, such as Iraq's former defense minister and a high-ranking official in the former Afghan government, both of whom utilized our welfare system while they lived and worked in their respective home countries.

Furthermore, we have problems with individuals who have managed to obtain multiple identities, a method that can be used to maximize grant payments or conceal other criminal activities. Even though the extent of this is not as large, it is an issue that we need to address. According to Skatteverket, it is a matter of establishing an effective and legally secure system with the storage of biometric data and making these searchable.

The Swedish Tax Agency assesses that between 200,000 and 360,000 people are incorrectly registered in Sweden. Sverigedemokraterna and the government continue the initiative for an improved population registration with 170 million kronor for 2025. This will help the Swedish Tax Agency to increase the number of residency checks and strengthen the work with quality assurance of the population registration.

Madam Speaker! The Swedish Customs Service plays a key role at Sweden's borders. Its work in ensuring that the correct customs duties and taxes are paid is important, but its significance extends far beyond this. Customs is our first line of defense against drug smuggling and the importation of illegal weapons, two factors that fuel organized crime.

In recent years, we have seen reports of an increasingly pressured work situation for customs officers in the control operations.

In a time when violence has become more brutal and import volumes of drugs and weapons have increased while attempts at illegal export of gold and cash have become ever larger, the criminals are prepared to use an ever greater measure of violence to evade control. Due to this, customs officers have increasingly desperately signaled the need to be able to carry weapons to a greater extent in connection with control activities.

Thanks to the Sweden Democrats, the new government and the leadership of the Swedish Customs, the arming of the customs staff in the control operations has now begun.

When it comes to drug smuggling and the Customs' seizure of drugs, the trend has been that the seizures are becoming larger. Praise to Tullverket for this! But unfortunately, the increasingly larger seizures indicate another phenomenon. When the smugglers judge that the risk of detection is low, they send increasingly larger shipments. Had the risk of detection been higher, the trend would reasonably have been a reduced amount of drugs at each seizure. This is a clear sign that Tullverket must be given the conditions to work more intensively in the flow of goods and be on site for more hours of the day.

Another area where Tullverket needs greater resources and powers is the control of stolen goods being exported from the country.

According to an estimate, stolen goods are smuggled out of the country every year to a value of approximately 2 billion kronor, and according to the police's assessment, 50 percent of residential burglaries and 90 percent of car and boat motor thefts were committed by international theft gangs.

The Swedish Customs Service has, since November 7 of this year, received a number of expanded powers for, among other things, the inspection of vehicles. A new criminal classification, smuggling, is also being developed so that vehicles leaving the country can be inspected in an even more effective manner.

The Tidö Agreement stipulated that the export of stolen goods would be criminalized, which will soon be able to be fulfilled and be a crime that can lead to imprisonment.

Madam Speaker! The work of the Swedish Enforcement Authority (Kronofogden) is not just about collecting debts. It also has an important role in the crime-fighting cooperation between authorities. Through cooperation and remote seizures, the Swedish Enforcement Authority has successfully seized luxury goods from individuals who on paper lack assets but live in luxury. This is work that not only reduces the incentives for criminals to show off their luxury but also reduces the attractiveness of crime for young people. Now we look forward to even more authorities joining the cooperation model with remote seizures.

Madam Speaker! The Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Customs Service, and the Swedish Enforcement Authority are small in comparison to many other agencies, but their work is crucial for our society to function. By strengthening their resources and powers, we take important steps to protect our welfare and combat crime.

I therefore move for approval of the proposal in the report.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ilona Szatmári Waldau (V)

Madam Speaker! We are now going to debate the budget for three agencies: Tullverket, Kronofogdemyndigheten, and Skatteverket. The Riksdag has established the frameworks, and we cannot make decisions on supplementary funds to the agencies even if it might be needed in some cases.

The Swedish Enforcement Authority has received the supplement that the authority estimated it needs, and the Left Party therefore has no other proposals. But we can state that the Swedish Enforcement Authority's statistics show the social development and that it is heading in the wrong direction. We see that the number of evictions is increasing, that the number of people who have a debt with the Enforcement Authority is increasing, and that the number of people seeking debt restructuring is increasing. The increasing inequalities in our country are noticeable in the Enforcement Authority's operations.

Households' real incomes decreased during 2022 for the first time since the 90s. The rapid price increases in recent years on basic goods such as electricity, housing, food, and fuel mean that more households have difficulty meeting their basic needs. Housing costs and food prices have increased more than wages have for both workers and white-collar employees. This is noticeable, among other things, by the fact that the number of people in Sweden living in material and social poverty has increased by 200,000 people. Nearly 2 million people live in absolute or relative poverty in our country. The increase is largest for women and worst of all for single parents with children at home. Since 2022, Sweden has dropped four places in Oxfam's global inequality index. We are moving backward year by year.

At the same time as taxes are significantly lowered for high-income earners next year, they are raised for many low-income earners, as a tapered interest deduction for certain unsecured loans is introduced. The average interest rate on consumer loans for those with low incomes is very high because unsecured loans are more widespread among low-income earners. They have no collateral to borrow against and must take out loans to pay the rent. The government's large tax increase for those with unsecured loans risks increasing the number of people in debt with the Enforcement Authority. The reverse Robin Hood policy, where one takes from the poor and gives to the rich, has consequences.

Vänsterpartiet will spend a total of 45 billion kronor next year on improving conditions for households through, for example, increased unemployment insurance and sickness insurance, abolished waiting periods, and increased child allowance. With Vänsterpartiet's policy, more people can stay in their homes and manage their expenses and thus do not become cases for the Enforcement Authority. People should not have to borrow to afford food and rent.

Madam Speaker! Organized crime has started activities within the welfare sector, among others to launder money. This should be a reason for the right to close the possibility of taking out profits in tax-funded welfare activities. But profits are apparently more important than stopping crime and ensuring that tax funds for welfare stay in welfare. That organized crime has found its way into the common welfare involves losses of billions and threatens people's safety and health. It is also a threat to the welfare system, the rule of law, and democracy in Sweden.

The Swedish Tax Agency has a mandate to stop abuse of the welfare systems, but this is directed at the individual and does not address the money laundering and the crimes that occur in connection with healthcare and care procurement. Public procurement constitutes a large part of the welfare economy and is a highly interesting market for criminals and other unscrupulous actors. SKR (Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner) notes that criminals do not hesitate to acquire contracts with the public in various ways without intending to either follow regulations, pay taxes and fees, or deliver operations in accordance with the contract. It is good that the Swedish Tax Agency has a mandate to stop welfare crime among individuals, but we also need to address the derailed welfare crime within procured activities.

Regarding the appropriation for the Swedish Tax Agency's operations, the Left Party has no other proposal in this budget than the government's, but I note at the same time that the large cuts that the agency has been forced to make this year have hindered the Swedish Tax Agency's ability to develop its operations during the year and will give the agency a longer starting period. The Swedish Tax Agency's work should be more focused on stopping tax evasion and advanced tax planning.

Madam Speaker! The Swedish Customs Service faces many challenges and has received new powers to more easily stop criminals, and it has also been decided that the uniformed control personnel shall be able to be armed with a service pistol. In order for the Swedish Customs Service to be able to meet the new powers, the agency needs more resources, but it does not get them; it does not get enough from the right-wing majority. The majority has, just like the opposition, high ambitions when it comes to reducing crime, and then an advanced customs operation should be prioritized. It is at our borders that we stop the smuggling of drugs and weapons, but the Swedish Customs Service does not have the resources today to monitor and carry out controls to a sufficiently large extent.

Another problem that Tullverket has identified is that when the government invests in adjacent activities within the justice system, for example, salary increases for the police, the agency risks losing competence when it does not have the resources to offer competitive conditions. Despite this, the government chooses not to invest sufficiently in Tullverket. Now Tullverket risks not being able to carry out the crime-preventive measures that have been planned, partly because the appropriation is not sufficient for substitutes and for the training that is required – for example, so that those who could have service weapons can receive the training needed for this.

Today, only spot checks are carried out in certain ports and at certain border crossings. In some places, Tullverket is only present following tips. Tullverket's presence needs to be strengthened in several locations, and resources are needed to be able to recruit and retain staff.

Madam Speaker! I want to conclude where I began: with the households' economy. I wonder why the right-wing majority is driving a policy that makes those in debt even more indebted. Why are there no measures and policies that ensure children of those in debt can celebrate Christmas with Christmas food and Christmas presents? Where are the measures so that children are not evicted from their homes? Where are the measures for ordinary people? Higher appropriations to the Swedish Enforcement Authority are good, but better work is required so that people do not even have to end up there.

Madam Speaker! The Riksdag has reached a decision on the frameworks for the expenditure area and chooses not to meet the Swedish Customs Service's needs, which the Left Party does in our budget. We have therefore chosen to abstain from participating in the decision on expenditure area 3, and I refer to our special statement.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Cecilia Engström (KD)

Madam Speaker! Today we are discussing the Riksdag's decision on the budget for 2025 in the area of tax, customs, and execution. It is an important budget to ensure the financing of the common welfare and to create conditions for a safe and well-functioning society. For us Christian Democrats, it is important to have a responsible and secure economic policy.

The expenditure framework of 14.8 billion is not just numbers; it is a clear prioritization of areas concerning the fight against crime as well as a strengthened economy and more efficient authorities. It is important to have a responsible use of our common resources.

Well-functioning authorities are the foundation for building a society characterized by trust and security. Skatteverket, Tullverket, and Kronofogden have central roles in that work. They do not only ensure the financing of our common, well-functioning welfare. They also contribute to combating economic crime, which risks undermining the social structure.

Madam Speaker! A correct population register is a prerequisite for a society where resources are distributed fairly and welfare systems are not abused. The Swedish Tax Agency's work in this area is crucial to reaching those who want to misuse our common funds.

When it comes to identity creation and ensuring reliable identities, we cannot compromise. A proposal concerning genetics and whether such data shall be allowed to be stored is therefore underway and is important in the continued work.

The Christian Democrats also view positively that the authorities are investing in digitalization to facilitate matters for both private individuals and companies, something that strengthens legal certainty and makes it easier to follow the regulatory framework.

Madam Speaker! Organized crime is one of the greatest threats to Swedish society. When criminal groups use companies to launder money, evade taxes, or commit other crimes, they undermine trust in our entire economic system. Therefore, the efforts that Skatteverket makes to prevent companies from being used as tools for crime are very important.

Money laundering, tax evasion and crime in the labor market are some of the areas where resources are being strengthened. Using modern tools to analyze risks and combat crime is a step in the right direction.

We also welcome the investments in Tullverket, where more employees and new technical equipment can improve border controls and prevent illegal trade. This is particularly important in a time when cross-border crime is growing. When Tullverket now has greater powers and better equipment to protect its officials, they also receive more resources.

A prosperous society is built on economic security, for both citizens and companies. Therefore, it is crucial that the Swedish Enforcement Authority (Kronofogden) is given the conditions to work against over-indebtedness and to help people get out of difficult economic situations.

Over-indebtedness, which we have heard a lot about today, is a growing societal problem and affects individuals, families, and society as a whole. When people get trapped in a debt spiral, they risk not only economic problems but also mental ill-health, social isolation, and lost hope for the future. For the Christian Democrats, it is clear that we must take over-indebtedness seriously and ensure that the Enforcement Authority and other actors are given the right tools to help those who have fallen into debt and to prevent more from being affected.

Madam Speaker! Remote enforcement and digital support tools are important initiatives for a modern Swedish Enforcement Authority and for the operations to be made more accessible.

For companies, it is crucial that it becomes easier to follow rules and conduct business without unnecessary bureaucracy. There, we see the importance of creating a balance between reduced regulatory burden and effective measures against companies that are abused for criminal activities. It strengthens economic growth and contributes to fair competition in the market when it is fair for everyone.

Madam Speaker! We live in a time where the threat landscape against our society is becoming increasingly complex. Civil defense is not only about managing military threats but also about protecting our society against economic, technical, and social vulnerabilities. It is therefore important that both Skatteverket and Tullverket receive reinforced resources to raise the level of civil defense.

The increased staffing and the technological development within the Swedish Customs strengthens our ability to prevent crises and secure the borders. It is also an important part of the work to protect customs officers and other employees who often stand on the front line to ensure that our laws are complied with.

Madam Speaker! For the Christian Democrats, this decision on the budget for 2025 is an important step in the right direction. It strengthens the rule of law, safety, and the common welfare.

It is crucial that we continue on this path with a policy that prioritizes safety, justice, and responsible economic policy. By strengthening our authorities, promoting healthy conditions for entrepreneurship, and intensifying the fight against crime, we can build a society where all citizens feel safe and where our common resources are used in the best way.

Together we can ensure that Sweden remains a country with the rule of law and well-being where both people and companies develop and grow. Kristdemokraterna will continue to work towards this goal with clear priorities and with people at the center.

I vote in favor of the committee's proposal in the report.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Anders Ådahl (C)

Madam Speaker! The Centre Party's budget alternative for the expenditure area concerning the Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Customs Service, and the Swedish Enforcement Authority contains a difference compared to the government's budget. I intended to focus on that difference.

It is about us rejecting an investment of 170 million kronor on the census for 2025. In reality, it is about 500 million kronor over three years, where we are now discussing the middle year. The core idea for the census as it was presented was that people would knock on doors. It is a method that is inefficient and expensive and more historically curious than contemporary elegant.

The light is faint. Winter is here. We move backward in time. I read the beginning of the Christmas Gospel, the Gospel of Luke chapter 2:

"At that time, Emperor Augustus issued a decree that the whole world should be registered. It was the first census, and it was held when Quirinius was governor in Syria. Everyone went then to register, each to their own city. And Joseph, who through his lineage belonged to the house of David, traveled from Nazareth in Galilee up to Judea, to David's city Bethlehem, to register together with Mary, his betrothed, who was expecting her child."

I am not reading these lines solely because we are approaching Christmas, but to put things into perspective. Let us first unpack the text in the Gospel of Luke a little, so that we understand how this census, or population registration for the purpose of being able to collect tax, de facto took place.

The census was correctly ordered by the Romans and Emperor Augustus and was carried out by Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, governor of Syria. The time was the years 6 and 7 after Christ. That the timing does not exactly coincide with Jesus' birth we should not worry about, but rather see the census itself in the text as an important time marker.

The Romans had conquered territories and created a new province, and a census was to be carried out. It was therefore not about, as it stands in the gospel, "the whole world," but Quirinius's assignment concerned precisely this new Roman province – a regional census. More noteworthy is that the census did not practically take place as stated in the gospel. One did not go to one's hometown. Joseph and Mary did not go to Bethlehem to be censused. Instead, it was Roman officials who traveled around, knocked on doors, and meticulously noted the household's property, members, employees, residents, and slaves.

The similarities between the Tidöregering's ideas 2,000 years later regarding knocking on doors for a census are striking. It was difficult then, and it is difficult now. Now, we also have data registers, statistical methods, and computers to assist us. Data cross-referencing is significantly cheaper and more accurate than door-knocking.

We in the Center Party consider that the order we have had since 1991 is perfectly sufficient for keeping track of our population. The Swedish Tax Agency already has that task covered. And it is a very important task - that is not to be trifled with.

Of course, benefit fraud must be combated, and more measures need to be taken so that people who do not have the right to stay here shall return to their home countries. But a census à la Romans is not the right solution.

We in the Center Party, however, remain at a special statement, as our budget must be seen in its entirety. And it has indeed fallen in favor of the government's budget. Such is the way in the Riksdag, and it is wise. Therefore, we have no reservation.

Overall, regarding the expenditure area, we mean that a functioning tax system and a functioning payment system are central for the economy to function in Sweden. Skatteverket, Kronofogdemyndigheten, and Tullverket play central roles in the work to ensure this. The taxes we decide on must be perceived as reasonable, and the purpose of them being collected for the state treasury must not be able to be misunderstood.

Legitimacy, legal certainty and transparency must permeate all aspects of the legislation, the effects of which the relevant authorities shall largely handle.

The service at the three authorities in question has continuously improved and shall continue to be improved. This entails an increasingly widespread use of e-services. At the same time, the state's presence throughout the country is central for society as a whole.

It is important that taxes are designed so that the competitiveness of Swedish companies is strengthened and that the Swedish Tax Agency collects the taxes decided by Sweden's elected people. Taxes must be designed so that people dare to take risks and start companies. The taxes and regulations shall also be so simple and understandable that the operation of companies is facilitated as much as possible. Taxes shall contribute to growth and development throughout the country, facilitate job creation and entrepreneurship, and effectively finance public expenditures.

The employer's contribution is a significant expense for employers and affects employees, which is why the Swedish Tax Agency should ensure that it is always reported on the final tax notice. It can also be reported on payslips, and here the Swedish Tax Agency, together with all government agencies, should ensure that this is always done for government employees.

That the Swedish Customs' operations function well is extraordinarily important for trade, with flows of goods into and out of our country, to function well for our companies and across our entire country. It is crucial from a global competitive perspective. At the same time, the customs must in its operations contribute to safeguarding the general rule of law and general security, as well as ensure that, from its tasks and powers, it maintains order in the country.

The Swedish Customs Service has two main tasks that must be performed. One is collection, meaning to collect duties, taxes, and other fees. The other is crime fighting, where, among other things, illegal importation of alcohol, drug smuggling, and weapons smuggling are to be prosecuted.

In an increasingly globalized world, the Customs' operations are being put to the test, and it is important to ensure that organized crime is combated through targeted measures. At the same time, as a country, we must still strive to remain open to the rest of the world. The Riksdag needs to ensure that the Swedish Customs has legislation that is appropriate for its operations. The Swedish Customs' powers have been expanded over a long period of years. This needs to continue.

There is a clear connection between drug trafficking, economic crime, organized crime, and the increased number of shootings in the country.

Madam Speaker! In brief: The three authorities Skatteverket, Tullverket and Kronofogdemyndigheten are central to a functioning Sweden.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Annika Hirvonen (MP)

Madam Speaker! Behind us, we have had some extremely tough years for people in a difficult economic situation. The increased prices on food and other goods that people need have led to those who already had it hard having it even tougher.

The queues for the food distribution at Röda Korset and Stadsmissionen have grown. It is not only homeless people and people with different types of addictions or other difficulties who have had to ask for a food bag. There have also been single mothers who have a job – people who testify that one has to choose between a winter overall for the child, who has outgrown the old one, and being able to afford dinner for oneself at the end of the month. That type of situation should not exist in Sweden in 2024. I think it is shameful that the government has not prioritized preventing child poverty from spiraling out of control.

We have also seen how the number of evictions of children has increased and is now at its highest in at least ten years. This is noticeable at the Swedish Enforcement Authority, which we are discussing here today. It is the Swedish Enforcement Authority that handles the people who have needed to borrow money to put food on the table and the people who have not been able to afford to pay the rent on time. The authority does a job that is incredibly difficult and admirable in order to prevent and preclude this, but also to execute decisions.

The Green Party's view is that it had been necessary, and that it is still necessary, to take powerful measures to stop the increase in the number of families and people who end up with the Enforcement Authority with debts they cannot pay or who need to be evicted. It was necessary to increase child allowance and increase housing supplements. We also need to stop the growing inequalities, because while the government gives much more money to the very richest and introduces large tax cuts for all of us with high incomes, it cynically strikes against those with the largest debts.

We thus have a government that has introduced a law which says that you get a tax deduction if you borrow for a private jet and a tax deduction on your interest if you borrow for a luxury yacht, but not if you have ended up in debt because you have borrowed money to put food on the table. You also do not get a tax deduction if you have ended up in debt because you are ill and Försäkringskassan, after several months of sick leave, has concluded that you are not entitled to sickness benefit.

The people who have ended up in an enormous debt trap, for example because they have previously taken out SMS loans, now receive an enormous additional blow when they lose the interest deduction.

I am pleased that the government has measures forward to prevent rogue companies from engaging in usury, but that hitting those who are already lying there, I find completely astounding.

Madam Speaker! In addition to the Swedish Enforcement Authority, we are now also addressing the Swedish Tax Agency. The Swedish Tax Agency also deserves praise for the fantastically well-functioning operations it conducts. Companies testify to an incredibly high level of service, and it makes it easy to do the right thing, both for ordinary people and for entrepreneurs.

At the same time, one works hard to prevent tax fraud. It is incredibly important for the rule of law that it should be the same for everyone. It is also, of course, completely central for the welfare, because the amounts that disappear due to tax fraud are of great significance even if we do not know how large they are. The sums are estimated to be enormous, so every krona we invest in combating tax fraud, we get back many times over.

The Swedish Tax Agency is also actively working to counter organized crime. A very large amount of money in organized crime comes in various ways from people tampering with taxes. Different types of VAT arrangements in companies and other crimes can be prevented by the Swedish Tax Agency working actively but also cooperating with others. Several have also highlighted the importance of the population register and of it being correct. This, in turn, affects a number of different benefits that individuals are entitled to - or perhaps are not entitled to.

Tax, customs and execution

Customs also has a central role in the work against serious organized crime. One only has to look at the enormous drug seizures that customs has made recently. They have become better, and they have received better tools. We in Miljöpartiet are very pleased that there is a broad consensus in the Riksdag regarding the importance of this work.

I believe that the implementation of the new customs powers act can further sharpen the customs' ability to prevent drugs and other goods from being illegally imported into the country. The customs also have many important tasks when it comes to, for example, monitoring that trade with endangered species on the black market is prevented. It is of great importance for our opportunities to protect the most endangered life on earth.

Madam Speaker! From the Miljöparti's side, we have a special statement regarding this report. Since the budget is a whole and our proposal did not pass when the Riksdag voted on the frameworks for the entire budget, we will abstain from participating in the decision on expenditure area 3.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(Decisions were made under § 14.)

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