All the local government operations used to be both financed and provided under the Swedish local government auspices. Today local government operations are being exposed to competition. Danderyd wants to encourage private enterprises and we have several private day care centres, private schools and some private companies providing service for elderly people. Most local government service is financed by taxes but there are fees for day care, service for elderly, water and electricity.
Customer choice system
Danderyd's council provides a number of public services for its inhabitants. The standard is high and the services are continually evaluated to make sure that the quality remains good. Since more than 10 years Danderyd's council offers its inhabitants a choice of service providers, both public and private. The customer choice system includes childcare, education and care for the elderly.
The purpose of the customer choice systems is to offer its inhabitants freedom of choice and direct influence over these services. Decisions on how the services are designed are taken by the providers in close dialogue with the citizens who use the
services.
Danderyd in numbers
About 75% of the income of the municipality of Danderyd comes from taxes and about 18 % from fees and rents, the rest is state grants, sales revenues etc.
The costs of the municipal activities for 2005 were about 1.588 million Swedish crowns.
Danderyd's operation expenditures approximated in million SEK
Education 377
Care for elderly and disabled 357
Day care for children 209
Public emergency service, local area development, housing permits, environmental matters, maintenance of buildings owned by the municipality, administration etc. 208
Cultural and recreational activities 50
Roads, parks, water and sewage 53
The local taxes
Danderyd has low taxes compared to most other municipalities in Stockholm and Sweden. Out of 100 SEK earned you pay:
17:86 SEK local tax
12,27 SEK county council tax (the same for all the municipalities participating in the county council)
0,82 SEK church fees
30:95 SEK in total
The equalisation system
Danderyd will pay a total of about 335 million SEK during 2006 as an intramunicipal equalisation contribution. The system of government grants and intramunicipal equalisation has four components:
- Income equalisation
- Cost equalisation
- General government grants
- Transitional regulations
The equalisation system is intended to guarantee all municipalities and county councils an equivalent economic basis irrespective of their particular structural circumstances. Grants and contributions are calculated for each municipality and county council separately.
In 2006, 20 county councils and 278 municipalities receive grants from the system for economic equalisation for local governments. Among the municipalities, Täby pays most, just over SEK 411 million, while Danderyd contributes the highest amount per resident, SEK 11 091. The only net contributor among county councils is Stockholm County Council, contributing SEK 1 047 per resident, or SEK 2 billion.
This information about the equalization system is taken from Statistics Sweden. Read more about the transfer system here.