The Economy Report : on Swedish municipal and county council finances : may 2008

The Economy Report. On Swedish Municipal and County Council Finances is a series published twice yearly by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR). In it we deal with the present economic situation and developments in municipalities and county councils. The calculations in this issue extend to 2011. ; Preliminary net income for 2007 for municipalities and county councils amounts to some sek 13 billion, or 2.3 per cent of taxes and general government grants. One explanation for the good outcome for net income is the strong growth of employment. This year net income will be slightly worse, but it is still at a good level. The coming years will be more difficult. Work to increase efficiency must continue and there is no scope for unfunded reforms.

In a special chapter, we analyse what the implications would be for municipalities and county councils if the number of hours worked was to fall in the same way as at the beginning of the decade.