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Demokratiskolan
The Consumption card from MethodKit for Society and Politics
Card 52 of 128 · MethodKit for Society & Politics
  • AreaEconomy & work
  • Centre of gravityCentral government
  • Points of influence3 on the journey
  • Decisive electionThe general election
Economy & work

Consumption

Consumer rights, policies & VAT

Every time you buy something you step into one of everyday life's most heavily regulated corners. The right to cancel, guarantees, complaints and the VAT (moms) on the receipt: most of it is decided in the Riksdag (Sweden's parliament) or in Brussels, and quite a lot of the power actually lies with you as a consumer.

Where does the power lie?1

  • Municipality · consumer guidance & oversight · approx 10 %
  • State · laws, VAT & oversight · approx 55 %
  • EU · the basis of consumer rights · approx 35 %

The central government and the EU share the power: much of consumer law is decided in Brussels and becomes Swedish law through the Riksdag. The general election and the European Parliament election weigh heaviest.

How it works: the breakdown

The municipalityHelp near you
The regionOn the sidelines
Central governmentThe law & the watchdog · centre of gravity
Who decides?
The municipal council (kommunfullmäktige) and the administration that runs consumer guidance, where it exists.
No formal role. Regions do not govern consumer matters.
The Riksdag, Konsumentverket (the Swedish Consumer Agency) with the Consumer Ombudsman, and Allmänna reklamationsnämnden (the National Board for Consumer Disputes, ARN).
What do they decide?
Many municipalities offer free consumer guidance. The environmental committee (miljönämnd) checks food and shops.
No formal role, but the region's operations are themselves large buyers and consumers.
The Consumer Sales Act, contract terms, marketing rules, VAT and excise duties. ARN settles disputes for free.
Where are decisions made?
On the municipality's website and at the citizens' service desk.
Not applicable. Consumer matters are decided by the central government, the EU and the municipality.
In the Riksdag and at the agencies. The service Hallå konsument answers questions.
Who pays?
The municipal tax.
No part of the bill.
The central government budget. The VAT and excise duties you pay go the other way, to the central government.
Fastest way in?
Municipal election Use the consumer guidance, propose that the municipality keep it or introduce it.
Regional election The regional election does not affect consumer rights.
General election Report companies to Konsumentverket, take the dispute to ARN.
EUMost of consumer law, from the right to cancel online to product safety, is decided at EU level. Influence it in the European Parliament election.

Read the table by column to understand one level, or by row to compare the levels. The green level is the area's centre of gravity.

How it works: follow the decision

The case A broken phone becomes a won complaint
  1. EU

    The rights are born in Brussels

    The EU's rules on consumer purchases, the right to cancel and product safety set a minimum level that applies across the whole union. Whoever shops online from another EU country has the same basic protection.

  2. State

    The Riksdag turns the rules into Swedish law

    The Consumer Sales Act gives you the right to complain about a fault in a product for three years. Konsumentverket (the Swedish Consumer Agency) monitors that companies follow the rules and can act against misleading advertising.

    Point of influence

    The general election decides how far Sweden goes beyond the EU's minimum level.

  3. Municipality

    The guide helps you phrase the claim

    The phone breaks after a year and the shop refuses to replace it. Many municipalities have a consumer guide who, for free, helps you understand your rights and write to the company.

    Point of influence

    The municipal election decides whether consumer guidance remains in your municipality.

  4. State

    The shop says no, ARN has its say

    You report the dispute to Allmänna reklamationsnämnden (the National Board for Consumer Disputes), which examines it in writing and at no cost. The decisions are recommendations, but most reputable companies follow them.

    Point of influence

    Reporting to ARN is free and needs no lawyer.

  5. Your everyday life

    Money back

    The shop replaces the phone. All the way there were rules, agencies and free help that someone once decided on, often without you noticing.

The journey looks the same in reverse: what has been built came the same way, through the same decisions. Whoever knows where the decisions are made also knows where they can be changed.

Questions to discuss

  1. What power do you actually have as a consumer, and do you use it?

  2. Is three years to make a complaint too short, too long or about right, and who should bear the risk for bad products?

  3. Should advertising aimed at children be regulated more strictly, and who should decide that: Sweden or the EU?

  4. What do you prefer to buy locally and what do you prefer to buy online, and what does that do to your town?

  5. VAT is one of the central government's largest sources of income. Do you think about it when you shop?

Glossary

Ångerrätt
The right to cancel a distance purchase within 14 days, a rule that comes from the EU.
Reklamation
To complain about a fault in a product or service and demand that the fault be put right.
ARN
Allmänna reklamationsnämnden, the National Board for Consumer Disputes, a state board that examines disputes between consumers and companies for free.
Konsumentombudsmannen
The head of Konsumentverket, who can pursue consumers' cases against companies in court.
Moms
Value added tax, the state tax included in almost every price you pay.

Go further

Footnotes

1) This is an estimate of how decision-making power over the issue is split between the municipality, the region, central government and the EU, based on how responsibility is divided in legislation. A teaching guide, not an exact measurement.