Ap: – There is a heavy burden on the national budget

– 2002 tested a number of certainties we took for granted. That naturally framed the state budget work, Knutsen said as he opened the annual finance debate at the Storting on Thursday.

Knutsen led work to secure a budget deal between the ruling PA and SP parties and SV, which will be formally adopted by elected representatives on Thursday.

Great seriousness

The work was characterized by great seriousness, according to Knutsen, referring to the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the increase in prices and interest rates.

– If we make a mistake, the pain can get worse. Not showing responsibility can have serious long-term negative consequences and make everyday life harder for many, she said.

– What we’ve learned from previous hard times is that those who struggle the most first get hit the hardest. Social justice is what the Labor Party holds dear. Today we make decisions that mean someone has to contribute more. It’s right and fair, says Knutsen.

– But we don’t solve all the challenges, he acknowledged in the room.

More in the wallet

As is known, the Conservative Party is highly critical of the government’s proposal for basic rent for the aquaculture industry and temporary employer tax increase for income above NOK 750,000.

– It will affect businesses across the country, said Helge Orten from Høyre in the Storting.

The Conservative Party will also prioritize a package to give people more in their wallets.

– It will make it a little easier for people to pay their bills, says Orten.

– It will be cheaper to pollute

Liberals, on the other hand, are very critical of cutting environmental taxes.

– Incredibly, they are cut even more in the balance sheet liquidation with SV. Making it cheaper to pollute isn’t particularly forward-looking, says Venstre’s tax policy spokesman Sveinung Rotevatn.

At the same time, the government and SV allocated nearly NOK 1.2 billion more to the environment in the state budget than the Liberals did in their alternative budget.