Category: Uncategorized

The tax on plastic bags was, at first, a relatively obscure item listed in the January Agreement (2019) between the Social Democratic, Green, Center, and Liberal parties. But it did not remain obscure. Instead, a heated debate on the pros and cons of plastic grocery bags took place. The tax’s enaction was both celebrated and hated. Now, it might be going away again.

Good or bad?

In the debate, many argued that the grocery bags sold at the checkout counter were basically always reused as trash bags. Others argued that Sweden didn’t have the problem that the tax was supposed to address – plastic bags blowing around and polluting the seas, oceans, streets and forests. Numbers telling consumers how many times reusable bags needed to be used until they “made up for their manufacture” added to the debate. Whether for the environment, or for the income, the tax went into effect in June of 2000.

The tax had an immediate impact on consumption. When grocery bags began to cost seven kronor or more, sales of plastic bags to pack groceries in dropped over 80%. On the other hand, according to Wikipedia, sales of paper bags in grocery stores went up about 70%. Nine of ten Swedes said they were now bringing their own bags to the store. Sales of plastic bag rolls went up 75%.

Regardless of how much it did or did not do for the environment, the tax effectively put a damper on the sale of plastic bags at checkout – and the expected tax windfall. Expressen reported that in 2020, at least, the state received nearly two billion kronor less than what it had expected to take in. SVT reports, however, that the tax drew in more than twice as much last year – meaning that more people bought bags last year than had previously.

Not so fast

The Sweden Democratic party has now gone out and stated not only that the plastic bag tax was never effective, but that it will go away in the new year. Minister for Climate and the Environment Romina Pourmokhtari, of the Liberal party, was quick to counter. The plastic bag tax will only be evaluated, she said. A decision will only be taken “during the fall budget negotiations.”

Sweden’s climate goals are already a friction point between the government and its support party, the Sweden Democrats. The plastic bag tax might seem unimportant in the larger scheme of things, but it symbolizes the conflict well.

Headlines recently have been about the Moderate member of parliament who was blackmailed for 65,000 kronor. He apparently spent the night with two women, after which he paid one of them 5000 kronor. The other took pictures of the evening, presumably awkward ones, and demanded payment for not making them public. He paid, but then reported the whole thing to Säpo, the Swedish Security Services. She is now suspected of blackmail, and he of buying sexual favors.

Juicy! Who was it? How high up was he? Why is Säpo involved? Inquiring minds want to know, and we could find out. But most media outlets are careful with details.  General Swedish media praxis for publishing the name and picture of criminals, suspected criminals and other people-in-the-news is to not publish them. The reasons are based on ethical grounds and defamation laws.

Negative effects                         

The member of parliament is purported to have said he didn’t buy any sexual services at all. He was only helping her out with rent and taxi fare. Almost no one is going to believe that. Trying such an old canard may even show him in a more unflattering light. This is precisely one of the reasons the daily newspapers and SVT are not going public with name and picture. As SVT explains, publishing his name and picture would likely affect his life negatively. It may also negatively affect the lives of the person’s family and friends. Ergo, no name and no picture.

There are exceptions to this rule. If there is a very large and irrefutable public interest, for instance, information can be made public. And/or if the crime is particularly heinous. When Sweden’s foreign minister Anna Lindh was shockingly and tragically murdered in 2003, it was only after her murderer admitted the deed that his name and picture was published. Even then, Aftonbladet felt it was necessary to publicly explain why they chose to identify him so clearly.

The truth is no defense

Obviously, just a handsy member of parliament doesn’t make that cut for most media. But another reason to not publish a name or picture is Sweden’s defamation laws. This has been taken up in a previous post, but in short, publicly making (or posting) a true but negative statement about someone can make you guilty of defamation in the eyes of the court. Truth is no defense, and the fine can be heavy.

In the future, decisions to publish could become more, or less, restrictive. The outcome of one current case may push us in either one of those directions.

Name + picture = shot?

Over the last years, the police have begun to use names and pictures to help find suspects. It must be deemed necessary to further the investigation, and is preceded by legal discussion.

This case begins with a shooting in Uppsala in January. A 25-year-old was arrested, in absentia since he’d already fled the country, for shooting at an apartment where family members of the gang leader “the Kurdish fox” were living. The TV program Efterlyst asked for and received permission to show the name and picture of the 25-year-old. Later that same evening, the 25-year-old’s father was shot and killed.

The father’s family filed a police complaint against the prosecutor who allowed the name and picture’s publication. They claim that by allowing their release, the prosecutor showed a criminal lack of regard for the safety of gang members’ families.

The case has not yet come up in court, and it perhaps never will. Still, it may have some aftershocks not just for the police but for media and the public. Politicians caught with their pants down will likely never end, but how much we’ll know and for how long we’ll hear about it is up to how we define legitimate and irrefutable public interest.