Sweden's PM says more expansive fiscal policy ahead now inflation tamed
Adds background, further PM, finance minister quotes
STOCKHOLM, June 4 (Reuters) -Sweden is winning the fight against inflation and fiscal policy can move into a new, more expansive phase, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Tuesday.
The current right-of-centre government inherited strong finances despite the pandemic when it took office in 2022, but surging inflation, which peaked at more than 10%, held back spending plans.
With inflation now close to the central bank's target of 2% and interest rates on the way down, Kristersson said it was time to focus on boosting growth.
"Investing in Swedish competitiveness, investing in Sweden's future is the next step in economic policy," he said at a news conference.
Like much of Europe, Sweden faces enormous challenges in shifting its economy away from fossil fuels and in adapting to a new geopolitical reality shaped by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
However, Sweden is in much better shape than many others in Europe to cope with the changes.
Government debt is around 30% of GDP and falling. In Europe, the average is 90%. Sweden already gets almost all of its electricity from fossil-free sources.
Kristersson did not give any details of how much extra spending was planned.
A recent commission, which looks at long-term public finances, recommended targeting a budget deficit of 0.5% for the next 20 years, freeing up an extra 50 billion Swedish crowns ($4.80 billion) annually for investment.
"Investing in infrastructure, in research, in energy systems is going to be the absolute central thing," Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson said at the same conference.
"That is key for our growth and productivity. We will also, of course, make reforms in the area of taxes to increase growth and investment."
A government commission will report in the autumn on whether to temporarily relax the current target of a budget surplus of 0.33% of GDP over a business cycle.
($1 = 10.4268 Swedish crowns)
Swedish economy: http://tmsnrt.rs/2bylYpf
Reporting by Simon Johnson, editing by Stine Jacobsen and Sriraj Kalluvila
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