Labor spikes towards Vedum after the Bø phone – VG

– I was not surprised that a conservative mayor came up with something like this. But the Center Party should know not to pick up the phone and brag about what could be the downfall of other local communities, says Fellesforbundet leader and Labor Party central board member Jørn Eggum.

On Wednesday, VG was able to report that the Center Party leader himself, Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, received a phone call to the mayor of Bø, Sture Pedersen, after the municipality cracked down on the eviction.

According to the mayor, Vedum boasted of the initiative that the municipality has taken to lower the municipal part of the wealth tax. This has led several wealthy profiles to move to what is known as ‘Monaco of Norway’.

– When talking about people in the treatment of politics, it is also important to talk to the same people. I am interested in listening to people, even people who are at other parties or who possibly want to say different things to me. You don’t have to have the right party color to talk to me, Vedum tells VG.

– Did you show off the proposal?

– When I call people, I’m not angry. If Sture experienced it as a nice conversation, I think it’s nice. The main topic of the conversation was the centralization of government posts, and we did not get into the technicalities of the wealth tax proposal, says the party leader.

Believes Sp allows the rich to abandon the account

Hilmar Høl is a member of the central board and mayor of the Labor Party in Årdal. The industrial municipality, like Bø, has been hit hard by evictions. However, Høl is aware that cutting wealth tax is not the way to go.

The mayor of Årdal now encourages Vedum to clearly show where he stands.

– Increase the wealth tax at the national level, but at the same time applaud Bø for reducing the wealth tax at the local level. It is totally unpredictable and sends a signal that this is a good conservative system.

The Deputy Leader of the Labor Party, Bjørn Skjæran, has also been upset.

– Here, the conservative government lets the rich get off their tax bill, it’s right next to the pole and the wall. Ordinary workers don’t get a chance to do it, while on top they can bounce champagne, says Skjæran.

Vedum: – It is not a sustainable proposal

– As far as I know, there are no parties that have opposed the scheme that municipalities should have municipal freedom. It is up to each municipality to decide what to do with the part of the wealth tax that goes to the municipality, but of course it is not sustainable if all municipalities reduce this, says Vedum.

Tax equalization means that municipalities that receive less tax than the Norwegian municipal average, this is offset by municipalities that collect above the national average.

The municipalities that reduce the wealth tax must, in principle, bear this loss themselves. Last week it was announced that the government is giving Bø an exemption from the regulations.

Bø must cover the loss of tax revenue next year for those who were already living in Bø when the politicians decided to cut taxes. However, the municipality does not have to cover the loss of income that would have occurred as a result of the refugee wealth tax to the municipality by 2021. This loss is covered by tax equalization.

Vedum believes that talking to affected parties is an important part of the job.

– Talking to people should not be critical of the Labor Party. I can guarantee the Labor Party that I will also speak to more local politicians from other parties in the future, including people from the Labor Party. That is my job as an elected official.