The last few years have been difficult in many ways and the public economy has been subjected to challenges both nationally and globally. Without economic growth, our welfare state is under threat, says the leader of the Swedish People’s Party of Finland, Anna-Maja Henriksson. Henriksson emphasised the crucial role played by business and commerce as creators of jobs and growth.
“Finland’s economy needs to grow if we are to secure our welfare state. Success in balancing the economy requires investment at many levels and across several government terms. A sustainable economy and labour market are the best guarantees of our nation’s wellbeing. Business plays a central role in this and therefore it is our responsibility to ensure that operating conditions are favourable for business in Finland,” says Henriksson.
SFP wants Finland to be a competitive country that attracts business investment and new jobs. Investing in Finland must be attractive. It is the society’s duty to facilitate business operations, not to hinder them.
“It is important that our political discourse doesn’t get stuck on lists of cuts or taxes. We will never be able to eradicate all problems from the economy, nor to tax them away. What we need is mutual understanding of how to safeguard Finland’s future. We have demonstrated our ability to find consensus in shared issues across party boundaries, both during the pandemic and now with the war in Ukraine. Finland now needs a similar capability to tackle shared economic challenges,” Henriksson says.
“We need new success stories like Nokia was. Startups could be exempted from corporation tax for their first two or three years of operation, for example. We must believe in our opportunities and have courage to do things differently if we are to be leaders in both digitalisation and the green transition,” Henriksson believes.
