Left Party leaders could see party tax cut – here’s how they’d spend the extra money

Sweden’s Left Party leaders may receive a monthly pay rise if a proposal to reduce the party’s internal tax is approved, though the plan faces opposition within the party, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reports.

The party’s executive board has proposed lowering the so-called partiskatt—a mandatory contribution paid by MPs and MEPs to the party’s central funds—by adjusting the threshold from 45% to 50% of a base income unit. For a national lawmaker, this would mean a monthly reduction of around 4,000 SEK (approximately €350), increasing their take-home pay to just over 40,000 SEK (€3,500).

Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar described the proposal as creating “nervous anticipation,” while Sara Carlsson Hägglund, district chair for the Left Party in Gothenburg, argued against the change. “Given the economic divides and the cost-of-living crisis, we believe we should practice what we preach and keep the tax at its current level,” she told SVT.

When asked how they would spend the extra funds, some party figures mentioned concerts, ice cream, or dresses. The proposal will be debated at the party’s upcoming congress, where opponents hope to block the reduction.