Sometimes it is said that freedom has no price. And that is true. But it is equally true that freedom costs, says Kristersson in his speech at The Moderate Party's Sweden meeting in Karlstad.
He says that Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson and Defence Minister Pål Jonson have been tasked with preparing the decisions that will be required for a stronger defence.
This year, Sweden is allocating 143 billion kronor to defence, a doubling in just a few years.
But not even that will be enough, says Kristersson.
42 kronor more
The Moderate Party will also propose an increase in the daily allowance for Sweden's conscripts in the government's budget negotiations.
The daily allowance has not been adjusted since 2017 and stands at 146 kronor per service day. The Moderate Party is proposing an increase of at least 29 percent, which would mean 42 kronor more per day.
The adjustment compensates for inflation since 2017, but does not involve any increase beyond that.
We have not locked in a figure yet, but this is something we will discuss in the negotiations, says Kristersson.
No new taxes
This summer, NATO is expected to set a target of 3.5 percent of GDP for defence spending for member countries – and the Prime Minister emphasizes that the investments in defence will require prioritization.
This will cost. But Sweden has strong public finances, which means we can maintain a high pace in the necessary build-up.
We have saved for a rainy day to be able to meet difficult situations. Not all countries can do that.
However, no "new harmful taxes" will be introduced to finance defence, according to Kristersson.
