Watch the quarrel in the video window below:
The Green Party (MDG) believes that Norway must give the money we earn from the war in Ukraine back to the country. They estimate that it will be around NOK 1,500 billion.
Monday morning, MDG leader Une Bastholm barked together with Minister of Finance Trygve Slagsvold Vedum for a debate on the proposal in Politisk kvarter on NRK.
– I understand that the debate is unpleasant for Vedum, it is unpleasant to make ethical choices. I mean we can not sit and make so much money on a war that has hit Ukraine, in a country in Europe that will affect all European countries – without us showing up with what Norway can do with the most – and that is money, raste Bastholm.
Also read: MDG will provide NOK 1.5 trillion to Ukraine
– Forget all responsibility
Oil and gas revenues have skyrocketed after the war broke out, and Basholm believes it is obvious that Norway should give back the extra revenues.
– Now it is a huge disaster in Ukraine. It is a migration of people out of that country now that will characterize Europe for a long time to come. Then we know that Norway makes a lot of money from a high oil price, and the estimates are an entire state budget, she pointed out in the debate.
Bastholm believed that we now have two choices:
– We can put the money into the oil fund as we normally would, we can hope that the world does not notice it, forget all about ethics and responsibility. Or we can do something that I think could have been historic, and an opportunity for Norway to be able to contribute, she said.
Also read: Electricity prices to heaven: – Sincerely concerned about where this will end
Vedum: – An unworthy debate
However, Vedum strongly opposed MDG’s proposal.
– Everyone loses the war, and it is really a somewhat unworthy debate. If you take the whole calculation with you, then Norway has because we have lost more oil than we have so-called won, because the oil fund has lost so much in value, said the Minister of Finance, and added:
– But I do not like that debate, because it will not be like that even if we in goosebumps become poorer now than we were in January. It will be a completely unworthy and very strange debate – because we have to stand up anyway.
But Bastholm thought Vedum could not equate what the oil fund loses in value, with the income Norway now knows we will get.
– Giving away 17 billion as a scheme, it is extremely unwise. Unfortunately, the calculation is not as simple as Bastholm says, Vedum repeated.
Monday morning, the government’s budget conference starts at Klækken hotel in Ringerike, where the budget work for 2023 begins. The budget conference lasts until Wednesday.
–
