The budget proposal from the Oslo City Council is strongly influenced by the corona epidemic.
To achieve the goal of being able to test five percent of the population a week – which is equivalent to 35,000 tests – a billion has been set aside, Dagbladet is confirmed by City Councilor Raymond Johansen.
Raymond Johansen also confirms that there will be no school meals for students in the Oslo school in 2021 due to the uncertainty surrounding the municipality’s finances.
The plague takes the freedom
– Unfortunately, this is not the time to implement major election promises. Therefore, we postpone some important promises as school food. It is a direct consequence of the corona and a priority we must take. It is also not clear to us how much the state will compensate us. We have not got everything on the table yet, says city council leader Raymond Johansen (Labor) to Dagbladet.
More unemployed, less income
The details of the budget proposal will be known when the city council presents its plan to the city council at 13.00. The city council parties Arbeiderpartiet, SV and MDG do not have a majority and will seek a majority with Rødt.
– I have never been involved in creating a more demanding budget. It has been almost impossible. We do not know what Oslo and the world will look like in 2021, says Johansen.
The budget is presented in the middle of a flare-up of the corona infection in Oslo. Yesterday, the infection increased by 55 and only one district is below the red level limit.
– We do not know what costs we will get and what income we will lose. Only the handling of the corona will be costs in the billions, says Johansen.
He points out that revenues are plummeting in a number of areas for the municipality. Unemployment is 34,000 – three times as many as a year ago.
– Our goal is to take Oslo safely through the pandemic. The population also expects us to do so.
– Development must stop
Expensive Right-wing promise
In the middle of the budget request in the Oslo City Council, Raymond Johansen received the news that the Conservatives’ national meeting is in favor of removing the entire wealth tax in the next parliamentary term.
It provokes him greatly.
– While municipalities across the country are struggling in an extremely demanding situation, the Conservatives are in favor of removing the wealth tax, which is one of the municipalities’ most important sources of income. This will be one of the most expensive election promises next year, says Johansen.
The wealth tax is divided into two parts. There is 0.15 per cent wealth tax to the state and 0.7 per cent to the municipality where the person resides. The bottom deduction is 1.5 million.
The money from the wealth tax is absolutely crucial for Oslo – and many other municipalities – Johansen points out.
– For Oslo, the wealth tax is NOK 3.2 billion. Every third municipal wealth tax krone in Norway is paid in Oslo. This corresponds to 4,000 teachers, nurses and other employees and makes up a large proportion of our room for maneuver, says Johansen.
– When the Conservatives propose this, I wonder what planet they are on at the moment.
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