Arch-rivals in agreement on most issues (Aftenposten)

Though the Conservatives and the Labour Party are projecting themselves as arch-rivals, a survey has revealed that both parties have voted the same way on no less than 57 per cent of the issues debated in the Storting. The Christian Democrats voted with the Labour Party 59 per cent of the time, while they voted with the Conservatives on only 52 per cent of the issues under discussion. "The parties’ contradictory voting patterns make it difficult for voters to see where the dividing lines are drawn," said Hilmar Rommetveit, of the research foundation, Rogalandsforskning.

Less tax, more school (Dagbladet)

The Conservatives are wooing voters with tax cuts for mum and dad, while the kids will have to get used to a much longer day at school. Public service employees should not feel too safe if the Conservatives come to power. The party is planning to cut billions of kroner off the public service sector budget each year for the next four years. The contents of the Conservatives’ election manifesto are specific enough, but the document is not particularly enlightening when it comes to hard cash. Party chairman Jan Petersen estimates that the Conservatives’ election promises on direct and indirect taxes amount to around NOK 40 billion.

Talk about something other than lower taxes (Nationen)

Norway’s non-governmental organizations are tired of the election campaign being dominated by squabbles over tax cuts. Svein Mollekleiv, of the Norwegian Red Cross, Gerd-Liv Valla, president of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, and Bellona chief, Frederic Hauge, are calling on the political parties to talk about values instead. "At a time when so many people are so materially wealthy, it is important not to forget those who fall through the many holes in the welfare state’s safety net," said Mr Mollekleiv.

Cloning could be key to new government (Vårt Land)

The Christian Democrats have brought the issue of cloning into the election campaign. A clear-cut ban on cloning is an absolute prerequisite on the part of the Christian Democrats for any negotiations about forming a new government. "This issue is important from an ethical point of view and is a matter of principle for us. I am looking for a clarification from the Minister of Health on whether the Labour Party will also say no to cloning for therapeutic purposes," said prime ministerial candidate Kjell Magne Bondevik.

Sharp downturn in air travel (Aftenposten)

Thousands of Norwegians chose not to fly this summer. Norway’s three largest airlines, SAS, Braathens and Widerøe, carried 762,000 passengers in July. This represents a drop of seven per cent compared to the same period last year. "The downturn was expected and, in our opinion, is due to the rise in air travel taxes which came into effect in April. The rise has a greater impact in a month in which many private individuals are travelling," said Anne Grethe Ellingsen, vice president corporate communications at Braathens.

Investment bonds in a class of their own (Dagens Næringsliv)

Even the worst performing investment bonds gave a higher return than the best unit trust funds in the past year. Norwegian investors are now pouring their savings into investment bonds instead of unit trusts. Not a single Norwegian unit trust fund has given a positive return on investment over the past year. In contrast every single one of the Norwegian investment bonds has delivered the goods.

Sampo takes tougher line (Aftenposten)

The battle for Storebrand has intensified. Sampo’s lawyers have sent a seven-page memo to the Banking, Insurance and Securities Commission in which they lecture the Norwegian authorities on what they can and cannot do in connection with their evaluation of Sampo’s application to take over Storebrand. The Commission’s board will discuss Sampo’s application next Thursday, though the Government will not announce its final decision until after the election on 10 September.

Worth noting

• Increased transfers to young families and cuts in the electricity tax and VAT on food are the best way to even out the differences between rich and poor. Tax cuts just increase the gap, according to a report from the Central Bureau of Statistics. (Dagbladet)
• Kjell Magne Bondevik wriggles out of any attempt to pin him down about the Christian Democrats’ preferred government alternative if the centre alliance should fail. He would like to see a change of government, ‘but not at any price’. (Aftenposten)
• Jens Stoltenberg’s promise to raise the threshold for the high-income surtax offsets only half of the tax increases imposed by the Labour Party during the 1990s. With just one exception the Labour Party has raised the high-income surtax every year that it has been in office. (Aftenposten)
• The parties’ political will to maintain the Norwegian agricultural sector has weakened. The reversal is greatest in the Conservative Party. Less than half of the party’s candidates want to retain the agricultural sector at today’s level. (Nationen)
• Frustrated farmers who are turning their backs on the Labour Party should give their vote to the Centre Party rather than the Conservatives, according to Agriculture Minister Bjarne Håkon Hanssen. (Dagsavisen)
• Trade and Industry Minister Grete Knudsen achieved the most impressive coup of the campaign at Aker Stord yesterday when she got the company’s owner, and Norway’s toughest capitalist, Kjell Inge Røkke, to publicly admit to being a Labour voter. (Dagsavisen)
• Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is pleased about Kjell Inge Røkke’s Labour sympathies, but has reminded the billionaire businessman about the importance of sharing. "It is just as important to share as to create. This is the very cornerstone of the Labour Party’s policies and of the Norwegian welfare state," said Mr Stoltenberg. (Dagsavisen)
• More frequent and more serious accidents have left the oil companies facing a shock rise in insurance premiums. In the past 18 months the premiums for certain insurance policies have jumped 1,000 per cent. (Aftenposten)

Today’s comment from Dagsavisen

The experts are now warning people not to invest all their savings in unit trust funds. If we understand them correctly, it is suddenly much better for small investors to put their money into investment bonds. The country’s money managers have certainly changed their tune. Up until recently they have been warmly singing the praises of the unit trust fund. What are small investors to believe? Our advice is not to believe everything you hear about investments and the stock market. Make up your own mind.