How the Swedish growth organisation partied aways tax payer money.

Monday, 30 July 2012
We have always said on this network that the most common people in the society that do the right things and follow the laws pretty well but who lack some sort of membership in the various exclusive clubs in the land are always those that suffer from the supposedly democratic process they decided on.

Take for example, the Swedish political scene; the politicians of this country enjoy the most and are most shaded from any form of contingency as if they are the hardworking people in the land. They have their unemployment benefits gold plated, pension properly protected, good salary, they force us to take any job when we become unemployed but when they are voted out of office and have no job, they stay of their gold plated unemployment benefits for many years.

Heads of state own establishments treat them as their persona properties and their sub managers use resources as much as they like for themselves and distribute some for their friends in the private sector.

Sweden is country where its people used to believe in its political structures and leaders. But that is changing rapidly, especially in the past 6 to 7 years.

A case in point here is an organisation know as the Swedish Growth Board or Tillväxtverket, a state owned company that has as its main aim to grow the corporate sector in Sweden as well as reduce unemployment. Funding comes from the government or taxpayers and the EU. But since 2010 it is shown that the organisation has been feeding fat from free public money while consistently violating its own internal rules.

Exclusive castle stays, dinners, wine tasting and spa - all billed to the taxpayers are some of the actions taken by some privileged Swedes working for the organisation.

The Swedish daily, Dagens Nyehter reports that earlier this summer it was revealed that the officials of the Six AP Fund, a government organisation control the pension funds of its people lived in a completely different world than other authorities. They lived on generous benefits, luxury hotels, cars and free cleaning help at their home.

They earned more that the Swedish Prime Minister and when the news was exposed, there were strong reactions from readers and politicians. Apparently, officials in many state run organisations play with taxpayer money for their own enjoyment.

Dagen Nyehter also received tips on more authorities that are wasting taxpayers' money. One of the agencies that was pointed at is Tillväxtverket with over 300 employees. The Agency has offices in nine locations in Sweden and is responsible for distributing EU regional grants in the country and manages the various efforts for growth and employment.

The paper says that since January 2010, Tillväxtverket has spent almost Skr7.5 million for in-house seminars and entertainment. This is added to the further Skr9 million on internal training and other conferences. Added together it reaches Skr 16.5 million.

The Authority is a regular guest on several castles, manors, and spas all over Sweden. This often involves two-day program with overnight accommodation and full board. In the evening, they have big course dinners with wine and often organized clean recreational activities paid for by taxpayers. Among the thousands of invoices and receipts, the paper examined several examples: wine and chocolate tasting, snowmobile tours in the mountains, skiing, spa treatments and excursions in the archipelago.

At the end of May, there was the annual employee day, this year at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm. The bill for a one-day conference with lunch and dinner in the evening ended at Skr690 000, only the dinner cost Skr428 000. This will add further to the Skr115 000 for hired speakers, Skr50,000 for a conference organisers. Along with the cost of hotels for staff from offices outside Stockholm, the bill ould not stop untill its over a million Krona.

Of the restaurant bill, it is shown that only the dinner cost Skr428 225, Skr1476 per person including wine. That is more than double the organisation's own guidelines, which allows for a lunch plate to cost Skr375 per person.

Last year there was a similar arrangement when they chose to rented the entire Cirkus in Djurgården, Stockholm. Just the bill the dinner that followed at the restaurant Hasselbacken ended at over Skr200. 000. In 2010 they hired the Chinese Theatre and the banquet for the more than 200 officers who were served at the hotel Sheraton.

There are still plenty of examples, which the paper has cited that are both unethical, against the rules and wrong for example dinning and staying in various hotels such as the Gondola, the Grand Hôtel, restaurant Kungsholmen, Ulla Winbladhs are some restaurants where Tillväxtverket took its own people to dinner parties.

A recurring event that has cost Tillväxtverket large sums are the "leader" meetings, which are held several times a year. The agency's managers will gathered in a mansion or castle for a seminar. In March this year 27 managers visited Högberga Farm, with full board for Skr9.370 and when wine was added it ended up with a total bill of Skr149 393 including VAT said Dagens Nyheter.

Ski Paradise in Åre is another regular destination for Tillväxtverket's officials. In late January this year, they checked in a hotel spruce in central Åre. After the 6.5 hour conference, they ended the with a spa visit and dinner. The following day was devoted to "outdoor activities", according to the program, which the paper saw. The price including spa treatments and lift ticket was Skr116 174.

There are many other examples the paper cited in which money is being spent by Swedish pubic organisations like nothing. All this happens when the country is facing growing unemployment (8.2 percent at this moment), companies are going bust and others smaller ones such as the owner of this network, is leaving the country just because they could not get funding to run their affairs.

But an organisation that supposed to be working to grow businesses in the country and seeking means to make people get into work are instead using the Money for their own enjoyment. Well, you can make your own assessment about al this.
By Scancomark.se Team

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