Multi-child allowance divides the party – KDU wants to scrap it

The Christian Democratic Youth Association wants to scrap the multi-child allowance and replace it with a tax deduction, reports Sweden’s Radio Ekot.

The party board opposes the proposal and a heated battle over family policy is expected at the party’s Riksdag next week.

KDU chairman Stefan Sarmes believes that “people get the wrong incentives”, and that the abolition of the supplement will lead to less dependency on benefits and a stronger line of work.

– People who may live small and have several children may have more to get a share of these increasing contributions, he tells Ekot.

The Christian Democrats’ party board assesses that an abolition will instead lead to many families with children having a hard time.

– If it were to be removed, it would mean that, in the calculations we have seen, close to 15,000 children would further end up in economic vulnerability, says KD’s party secretary Liza-Maria Norlin to Ekot.

At the same time, she opens the door to changing the terms of the allowance so that the right to it only accrues after the third child.

Multi-child allowance already for two children is a “not very accurate” allowance, according to Norlin.

– Housing allowance for families with children would have a better effect, so we are prepared to review that.

FACT This is how the multi-child supplement works

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