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The budget process

Determining the central government budget is one of the Riksdag's most important tasks. The Riksdag starts its work with the central government budget when the Government submits the Spring Fiscal Policy Bill. This contains the Government's proposed guidelines for economic policy. In September, the Government submits the Budget Bill which contains proposals for central government revenue and expenditure for the following year.

Pile of the Government´s Spring Fiscal Policy Bill for 2022.

Pile of the Government´s Spring Fiscal Policy Bill for 2022. Photo: Melker Dahlstrand

The Ministry of Finance is responsible in the Government Offices for helping the Government to prepare the proposals for the central government budget.The Minister for Finance is head of the Ministry of Finance.

The members and parties of the Riksdag are free to submit counter-proposals to the Government's budget proposals. Before the Chamber of the Riksdag makes a decision on the central government budget, the parliamentary committees prepare the decision by considering all the proposals relating to the budget. Of the committees, the Committee on Finance has a special role in the Riksdag's consideration of the central government budget.

April: The Spring Fiscal Policy Bill

The Government submits the Spring Fiscal Policy Bill to the Riksdag by no later than 15 April. This contains the Government's proposed guidelines for economic policy. The guidelines form the basis of the forthcoming budget proposal in the autumn. The Riksdag adopts a decision on the Spring Fiscal Policy Bill in June.

The Spring Fiscal Policy Bill

September: The Budget Bill

Except in an election year, the Government presents its Budget Bill to the Riksdag by no later than 20 September. In election years, the Budget Bill is submitted later. The Budget Bill contains the Government's proposals for central government revenue and expenditure for the following year.

The Budget Bill

How the Riksdag determines the central government budget

At the end of November, the Riksdag first decides on the total limit for central government expenditure and on how much money is to go to different areas in society - the expenditure areas. At the same time, it takes a decision on the estimate of central government revenue. In mid-December the Riksdag decides how the funds are to be distributed within each expenditure area.

How the Riksdag determines the central government budget

April and September the following year: Amending budgets

Sometimes things do not turn out as the Government and Riksdag had intended. A government agency may, for example, need more money than planned. In this case, the Government can propose an amendment to the central government budget, even though it has already started to apply. On a maximum of two occasions, the Government may submit a bill proposing amendments to the central government budget for the ongoing budget year. This is known as an amending budget, and the Government submits such proposals first in conjunction with the Spring Fiscal Policy Bill in April and then in conjunction with the Budget Bill in September.

A bill proposing amendments to the central government budget may only be submitted on other occasions if the Government considers that there are special grounds for doing so. Such proposals are called additional amending budgets.

Amending budgets

 

Reviewed: 14 April 2022

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