EU corona fund this year's worst tax waste

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Published 27 January 2022 at 19.18

Tax. The Waste Ombudsman, SlösO, organizes a general vote every year on the worst waste of tax money of the year. Now the winner for the year 2021 has been chosen. It became the EU's corona fund – by a good margin.

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The EU's corona fund, or “Next generation EU” as it has come to be called, means that in the order of 750 billion euros will be distributed across Europe's countries over seven years.

EU takes out with this loan, which indebted the member states until 2058. Sweden is expected to contribute to the fund with approximately SEK 150 billion, but will get back much less.

The money will not go to countries hardest hit by the corona pandemic , but will be used to “restart” Europe.

– The EU's corona fund means a large and far-reaching commitment, with very little positive effect for Sweden, says Josefin Utas, SlösO, in a press release.

The problems with the fund are many, according to SlösO:

“In practice, even more money is now being transferred from affluent countries in the EU, to countries that would need to implement reforms rather than receive more grants. The money goes to things that countries themselves should take care of. Ordinary administration, rearmament or development should not have to take place with grant money from abroad. The grant carousel in the EU causes money to be lost in bureaucracy. The EU is no better at deciding what the member states' money should go to than the countries themselves. “

The Riksdag approved the fund in March 2021. Four parties voted yes: S, MP, C and L. Two parties voted no: SD and V. Two parties abstained: M and KD, which thus passed the proposal.

The waste ombudsman considers that the question of whether Sweden would approve the corona fund or was not given too little space. Many in Sweden are unaware of the decision and what it means in practice.

– We need more debate and scrutiny of what is happening in the EU. Waste of our tax money can not be ignored just because it happens at EU level, says Josefin Utas.

The EU's corona fund received 35 percent of the more than 15,000 votes in the waste competition. Second in the competition was aid to Afghanistan, which led to poor results. It received 15 percent of the vote. Third was cheating in public education in the student unions, which received 10 percent of the votes.

The ten nominated contributions can be seen here.