The Ministry of Finance has begun to form a draft budget – the Head of the Ministry of Finance is concerned about the lack of labor resources

The Ministry of Finance today started negotiations on the draft budget for next year.

Head of the Ministry of Finance Annika Saarikko (Center) stated that providing Finnish firms with sufficient labor resources so as not to harm nascent economic growth is among the priority tasks.

To discuss this issue she intends to convene a meeting with the heads of the offices of all ministries.

Among the necessary measures, Saarikko named an increase in labor migration. Also, in her opinion, it is necessary to make sure that unemployed and vacant jobs from different regions find each other more effectively.

Greater attention should also be paid to older workers so that they have the strength to stay in working life longer. In general, it is necessary to explore all the possibilities for raising the level of employment, she said.

It is already known that taxes on tobacco products will increase. It is likely that a pack of cigarettes will rise in price by 50 cents in 2022 and 2023.

At the same time, taxes on alcohol and gasoline will remain unchanged.

The tax deduction is also expected to increase for those who will give up oil heating in a private house and go to a more environmentally friendly option.

In addition. the possibility of increasing the tax deduction for household work and caring for the elderly and sick relatives is being considered in a two-year experiment.

Saarikko did not predict how many new loans the state would have to take next year to cope with all the costs. However, according to her, the state’s debt will grow more slowly next year than this.

Saarikko will present his draft budget for 2022 tomorrow. Government-wide talks will take place in early September.