Finance minister’s fuel tax post edited twice after scrutiny

Swedish Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson (M) claimed in a Facebook post that a road trip from Växjö to Östersund would cost about SEK 1,200 less due to a reduced fuel tax, according to a report by SVT Verifierar.

The post, published after the 1 July fuel tax cut of SEK 3 per litre, was edited twice following widespread criticism. Initially, the claim referred to a one-way trip, but was later adjusted to a round trip. After further questioning from SVT and other media, the post was revised again.

SVT Verifierar had four experts review the calculation behind the claim: Viktor Gunnarsson of Drivkraft Sverige, Laszlo Sajtos of the National Institute of Economic Research, Mattias Goldmann of the 2030 Secretariat, and independent environmental consultant Magnus Nilsson.