Sverige: Kuttet i matmomsen har fullt ut kommet kundene til gode

From April 1st, Sweden has experienced a halving of matmoms, from 12 to 6 percent. The government made it clear that this measure would be evaluated continuously to ensure it achieves its intended effect. Concern among critics is that some of the money may end up in the pockets of everyday retailers. So far, this has not been seen, according to Sweden's Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, she said the cut has hit consumers "full through." The evaluation was carried out by Konsumentverket, Sweden's answer to the Consumer Council. It shows that prices on food and alcohol-free drinks fell by 5.5 percent from March to April. This fully-through effect corresponded to 5.36 percent.

Konsumentverket has also tried to separate the tax effect from other factors such as raw material prices, currency, and costs. All indications point to roughly full-through, states the report. All four large chains - Axfood, Coop, Ica, and Lidl - reduced prices to a degree that corresponds to the tax cut. All chains had lower price levels in July than in April, and Konsumentverket finds no signs that they had raised prices in advance.

Prices developed mainly normally from the cut being announced in September until February. Restaurants are another matter, according to Konsumentverket. The report shows that 69 percent of restaurant chains had unchanged prices between March and April, while barely 20 percent reduced them. The actual cuts were often only 1-3 percent, far from a full-through effect.

Konsumentverket also emphasizes that this is still early results. The next part report comes on September 1, 2027. The matmoms cut is an interim measure that will last until 2028.