Annika Wallenskog, chief economist at SKL, believes that there are several aspects that play a role.
- Some municipalities raise taxes, which is a way of not having to save, while other municipalities have had surpluses for several years, perhaps because they have been restrictive regarding budget lines, and then they basically have a strong economy. A surplus can also be about working hard to keep costs down, she explains as a few possible reasons.
In SVT Nyheter's survey, 214 of the country's 290 municipalities responded to the survey sent out at the end of October, and 82 per cent of them answered, which corresponds to 176, that they will need to save.
The survey shows that six out of ten municipalities are planning savings in school and education, where among other things, 64 per cent say that it is the staff that will be reduced.
But it is also true that many municipalities, especially around the Swedish metropolitan areas, grow and gain more inhabitants, which in turn gives the municipalities higher tax revenue.
The activities surrounding the refugee reception are another factor affecting the Swedish municipalities' economy.
- There you can see that some municipalities had a large refugee reception with a large activity around and when the state compensation is phased out it becomes a saving. If the municipality has had a low reception, these costs have not been built up, says Annika Wallenskog.
As a final example of factor that comes into play are the gains that municipalities can make.
- Some municipalities have sold a lot of land and raised money there or have energy companies or similar that can return a return. Then they may not need to save either, she explains.