Election Guide 2002 - Sweden.se

must be able to live on their earnings and also be able to
save for the future.
We also want to abolish the punitive taxation of
knowledge which is causing many highly educated people
to leave Sweden for other countries and which – the
individual climate being a central part of the climate
for enterprise – is causing many business undertakings
to leave or steer clear of Sweden.
Unemployment in Sweden is very high. If all the
people taking part in labour market policy programmes
and those staying on at university because they cannot
find a job are included, nearly one-sixth of the labour
force is without work.
To create more jobs, the tax on labour must be
substantially reduced, especially for people with low and
medium incomes. In addition, it must be made far more
easy to start, run and own businesses. The jungle of red
tape which today is effectively stifling enterprise and
entrepreneurship must be drastically reduced.
Moderate policy is about freedom of choice. Partly
by keeping taxes as low as possible, so that people can
decide for themselves how they want to spend their
money. And partly by applying the greatest possible
freedom of choice even for money which has been
paid as tax.
We want to finance good schools and good medical
care for everyone on a common basis, but we want public
funding to follow the individual pupil or patient straight
to the school or hospital which he or she prefers.
The state being responsible for funding does not mean
that it has to be responsible for providing. On the
contrary, the diversity represented by independent
schools and private hospitals is necessary in order for
all children to be able to acquire good knowledge and
for everyone to receive good care in time. The existence
of many different employers also means better opportunities
of choice for the people working in these fields.
If people are to get value for their tax money, adequate
resources must also be devoted to the really essential
task of the state, which is the protection of people’s lives
and property. If people do not feel secure, their freedom
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