Election programs | The Left Alliance promises a minimum wage of 12 euros and bereavement leave for those who have lost a child

Left Alliance published his election program on Tuesday, the title of which is “a fairer tomorrow for all, not the few”.

The party promotes a minimum hourly wage of 12 euros, experiments with shorter and more flexible working hours, energy self-sufficiency and adherence to climate goals.

The Left Alliance would balance the public finances with three billion euros during the election period, mainly through tax increases.

Party leader Lee Andersson said at the announcement event that the party wants to continue “restoring the honor of education” and solving the healthcare crisis on the path started by the current government.

HS goes through the program with the help of seven questions.

What kind of Finland does the party aim for?

The party aims for Finland, where the position of the disadvantaged is improved. In solving crises, the state’s means are emphasized instead of individuals. This applies both to the adjustment of state finances and to environmental issues.

In NATO policy, the party hopes that Finland will focus on defense and the surrounding area on the Norwegian model.

“Nuclear weapons and permanent troops of foreign countries should not be brought to Finland,” the program reads.

What needs to change?

“Tax policy needs to change,” answered Andersson at the press conference. “In the current government, it has been impossible due to the strict position of one party,” Andersson said. In the government, the center has stopped tax increases.

In the opinion of the Left Alliance, Finland’s aging public finances cannot be fairly balanced without tax increases.

How is the change made?

The Left Party is aiming for a total investment of 1.5 billion euros in education, social security and social and health services. Money would be invested in learning support, early childhood education, strengthening basic security and premiums for family care.

In climate policy, the party pushes for the expansion of the refueling and charging network for gas, hydrogen and electric cars, the promotion of hydrogen-based industry and the investigation of the introduction of small nuclear reactors.

In forestry policy, the requirements for the severity of final felling in the Forest Act and the reduction of felling by Metsähallitus come to the fore.

What is the most expensive promise?

One of the most expensive promises is a permanent 200 million euro annual increase in learning support. It would support, for example, special education and smaller group sizes.

Where does the money come from?

The program lists tax increases of 2.5 billion euros. The list includes the cut of the dividend tax deduction for unlisted companies and the wealth tax on assets over one million euros.

The party is ready to increase corporate tax paid by companies by two percentage points. “Finland has a lower corporate tax than the average of EU countries,” the program justifies.

Chairman of the parliamentary group Jussi Saramo pointed out that tax increases would keep Finland’s tax rate unchanged in the next few years and not increase it.

This is because that, according to the Ministry of Finance’s forecast, Finland’s tax rate will decrease “automatically” in the next few years without new decisions. According to the figures provided by the Ministry to HS, the decrease will be 1.6 percentage points from 2022 to 2027.

The tax rate means the ratio of tax collection to gross domestic product.

The decrease in the tax pot is mainly due to excise taxes, which are defined in euros. As the price level rises, their real level falls. In addition, consumption shifts to products with a lower tax level, for example, as a result of the coal ban, the purification of fuels and the electrification of transport.

In addition according to the calculations of the left-wing coalition, the money would come from raising the employment rate from 75 percent to 76 percent and from cuts of half a billion euros, which would target e.g. electrification subsidies, Kela compensation for private care and agricultural subsidies.

What is the most surprising opening of the party?

The party proposes a hospice leave for relatives of a dying person, for which financial compensation could be obtained. For those who have lost a child, the party proposes mourning leave accordingly.

What is the most poetic sentence in the program?

“Individuals must unite and gather their strength for change.”

Correction at 9:15 p.m.: Jussi Saramo is the chairman of the parliamentary group of the left-wing coalition, not the vice-chairman of the party, as the article originally read.