A: Prohibit the sale below cost – Swedish Radio

A: Prohibit the sale below cost – Swedish Radio

The Social Democrats go to the polls to prevent schools, clinics and other welfare activities are sold at a loss. A draft of the party’s next election manifesto is to introduce a new law – Lex Seraph – that makes it possible to subsequently require the buyer to pay more money.

The Social Democrats Party Secretary Jämtin notes that there have been very many clearance sales of municipal activities in recent years.

– There have been a lot of sell-offs in recent years, and some of them have been to quite a substantial loss, some have even been sentenced to be illegal in accordance with the Local Government Act. But you can not demand a refund or to claim to get money back or a fine, or that kind of stuff, so we want to change the law so that you can actually do it.

The Social uses the controversial sale of the medical center Seraph in Stockholm as a deterrent. In 2007 it was sold by the county council to six doctors for 700,000 crowns. A few years later sold the new owners care center on for about 20 million.

Even today, it is in the Local Government Act, a municipality must not favor an individual or a business. But even if a court concludes that a public agency, as a nursery or a home care unit, has been sold too cheaply, it is difficult to subsequently force the buyer to pay a new, higher price, said party secretary Carin Jämtin. Therefore, goes the Social Democrats campaigned on introducing a new law – Lex Seraph.

– Is it considered as a loss, that is, carelessness with residents’ money, so you should be able to withdraw the money through the court deems what is reasonable. Above all, I think that politicians that it is important to be thorough with the taxpayers’ money, it is everybody’s paid municipal tax, which is now passing away in different ways, and I think this is wrong.

Vänsterpartets leader Jonas Sjöstedt think that the Social Democrats’ proposal is a good first step. But further action is needed, he believes. First, a stop for a rate of return of welfare.

– The second is that we want a protection of the Constitution, which means that you must have a qualified majority or decision choice between to sell off public property . Then there would be an opportunity for discussion and reflection, and we would avoid these sell-offs at a loss as we have seen in several places.

Promise Olsson
lova.olsson@sverigesradio se