Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
A pledge to spend more than 40 billion kroner on Ukraine-related policies, threats aimed at the Sami amid the Fosen wind farms protest and other news from Norway on Tuesday.
Norway to spend billions on Ukraine-related measures in the 2024 budget
The Norwegian government has decided to spend over 40 billion kroner on policies related to the war in Ukraine in next year's state budget.
"We are going to spend over 40 billion kroner on various measures due to the war in Ukraine. Both this year and next year, it will be at least that level of expenditure," Finance Minister Slagsvold Vedum told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
The 40 billion kroner will go to Ukrainian refugees in Norway and military and civil aid to Ukraine.
"We reached the estimate last year. Then, around 35,000 (Ukrainian refugees) came to the country. It could be about the same this year. There are many internally displaced people in Ukraine," he added.
Harassment and threats aimed at Sami after Fosen protest
After the Fosen protest in Oslo, several Sami have been subjected to harassment and threats. The Sami Parliament President Silje Karine Muotka has forwarded the threatening messages to the police.
On her Facebook page, Muotka wrote that she had observed a lot of serious harassment and threats against the Fosen campaigners on social media, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reports.
Furthermore, Muotka says that she has read many unpleasant descriptions and comments about herself, which, among other things, refer to her appearance.
She also says she has received threatening emails and that she forwarded them to the police.
"This is not acceptable, and I would ask everyone involved to remember to stick to the matter at hand and not engage in personal harassment," Muotka wrote on Facebook.
Several young activists were also the targets of online harassment, according to NRK.
Norwegian PM rules out new large tax increases
While the Norwegian state budget for 2024 will reflect the political situation in Europe, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre promised that there would be no significant tax increases.
"We always have the ambition to have a fairer and redistributive tax system. But in our work, there are no plans for generally increased taxes in Norway in the situation we are in now," Støre told the newspaper VG.
According to the newspaper, Støre and Vedum suggested that the state budget for 2024 would be responsible, but with certain increases on some items.
Among them, expenditure on the Armed Forces, refugees, hospitals, and support for Ukraine figure prominently.
What's the price of lifting Norway's social security recipients out of poverty?
According to Inclusion Minister Marte Mjøs Persen, it would cost around 13.3 billion kroner to lift everyone who receives social security benefits in Norway above the poverty line.
The newspaper Klassekampen reports that Minister Mjøs Persen shared the information in answer to a question from the Red Party's (Rødt) Mímir Kristjánsson.
"There is surprisingly little that is needed (to do that). In my eyes, it is a moderate goal that no one who has been on benefits for many years should be below the poverty line," Kristjánsson said.
The calculation is based on the fact that 560,000 people in the country live below the EU's poverty line - an income of around 251,600 kroner.
Comments
See Also
Norway to spend billions on Ukraine-related measures in the 2024 budget
The Norwegian government has decided to spend over 40 billion kroner on policies related to the war in Ukraine in next year's state budget.
"We are going to spend over 40 billion kroner on various measures due to the war in Ukraine. Both this year and next year, it will be at least that level of expenditure," Finance Minister Slagsvold Vedum told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
The 40 billion kroner will go to Ukrainian refugees in Norway and military and civil aid to Ukraine.
"We reached the estimate last year. Then, around 35,000 (Ukrainian refugees) came to the country. It could be about the same this year. There are many internally displaced people in Ukraine," he added.
Harassment and threats aimed at Sami after Fosen protest
After the Fosen protest in Oslo, several Sami have been subjected to harassment and threats. The Sami Parliament President Silje Karine Muotka has forwarded the threatening messages to the police.
On her Facebook page, Muotka wrote that she had observed a lot of serious harassment and threats against the Fosen campaigners on social media, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reports.
Furthermore, Muotka says that she has read many unpleasant descriptions and comments about herself, which, among other things, refer to her appearance.
She also says she has received threatening emails and that she forwarded them to the police.
"This is not acceptable, and I would ask everyone involved to remember to stick to the matter at hand and not engage in personal harassment," Muotka wrote on Facebook.
Several young activists were also the targets of online harassment, according to NRK.
Norwegian PM rules out new large tax increases
While the Norwegian state budget for 2024 will reflect the political situation in Europe, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre promised that there would be no significant tax increases.
"We always have the ambition to have a fairer and redistributive tax system. But in our work, there are no plans for generally increased taxes in Norway in the situation we are in now," Støre told the newspaper VG.
According to the newspaper, Støre and Vedum suggested that the state budget for 2024 would be responsible, but with certain increases on some items.
Among them, expenditure on the Armed Forces, refugees, hospitals, and support for Ukraine figure prominently.
What's the price of lifting Norway's social security recipients out of poverty?
According to Inclusion Minister Marte Mjøs Persen, it would cost around 13.3 billion kroner to lift everyone who receives social security benefits in Norway above the poverty line.
The newspaper Klassekampen reports that Minister Mjøs Persen shared the information in answer to a question from the Red Party's (Rødt) Mímir Kristjánsson.
"There is surprisingly little that is needed (to do that). In my eyes, it is a moderate goal that no one who has been on benefits for many years should be below the poverty line," Kristjánsson said.
The calculation is based on the fact that 560,000 people in the country live below the EU's poverty line - an income of around 251,600 kroner.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.