People in Denmark who are worst-affected by increasing prices and inflation can expect a helping hand from the government provided by the 2023 budget, according to reports by Danish media including broadcaster DR in advance of its official presentation on Wednesday.

Printed versions of the government’s draft budget for next year were distributed to ministers late on Tuesday. 

Notable points of the draft budget include two billion kroner set aside for inflation aid, a 1.3 billion kroner Covid-19 reserve and 100 million kroner to boost internet access in rural Denmark. 

The government has already paid out relief this year to around 400,000 homes hit by high energy bills, while rent increases have been capped at 4 percent.

Additional assistance is now planned according to reports on the draft budget.

Up to two billion kroner is earmarked for inflation assistance in the budget, DR writes. Wammen confirmed to the broadcaster that money would be spent tackling the issue.

“We are putting aside a framework to give additional inflation help. We will sit down with parliamentary parties and say, ‘here is an amount which we should look at together and see how it can best be used for Danes badly affected by inflation at the moment,” the minister said.

“This will be a tight budget because we don’t want to fan the inflation that has hit Denmark and the rest of Europe,” he also said.

The inflation help will reportedly be paid for by cuts to public infrastructure spending. This means additional money will not be spent, thereby limiting further inflation, the government reasons.

Specifics as to who would receive the inflation help are not clear in advance of the draft budget presentation, scheduled for 1pm on Wednesday.

Inflation in Denmark in June was 9.7 person, according to Statistics Denmark. This encompasses food and energy prices as well as other essentials.

The draft budget sets aside 600 million kroner for a so-called “negotiation fund” (forhandlingspulje) for which the target of spending can be thrashed out between parties in parliament. The pool would rise to 1 billion kroner annually in 2024-26.

The amount, which can for example be spent on the health system if a need was deemed to arise, is lower than it was in the last two budgets (1.2 billion and 1.5 billion kroner in 2020 and 2021 respectively). The government is reported to favour mental health services and the elderly as areas which could benefit from the fund in 2023.

Additional spending on the health service (outside of the negotiable fund) is set at 447 million kroner in 2023 and 2.5 billion kroner during the years 2024-27.

Also included in the budget is 615 million kroner for ongoing management of Covid-19, 1.3 billion kroner for civil law measures related to company taxation in 2023-26, 760 million kroner on elementary education in 2023-26 and a Covid-19 reserve fund of 1.3 billion kroner.

Up to 100 million kroner could also be spent on improving broadband internet in rural regions, a break with the government’s previous stance that the market should ensure improvements in this area without state spending.

The overall amount of spending and number of new measures in the budget are relatively limited, reflecting what the government is calling a “tight and responsible” approach given the unstable broader economic climate.

Inflation is not expected to decrease as much as the Ministry of Finance projected in an earlier prognosis from May this year, news wire Ritzau reports.

However, while consumer prices are expected to grow by 3.3 percent in 2023, private sector wages are forecast by the ministry to go up by 3.6 percent.

READ ALSO: Denmark’s economy grows with clouds visible on horizon

The draft budget must be discussed and negotiated with other parties – normally the government’s allies on the left of centre – until a finalised version is agreed on with backing from enough parties to see it voted through parliament.

Left wing parties the Red Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) and the Socialist People’s Party (SF) have already called for more spending on some elements of the budget, while the opposition Conservatives said increased inflation assistance was not the correct way to bolster the economy.

Negotiation of the budget usually takes place during the autumn with the final version concluded no later than December, but this could be disrupted by a potential general election this autumn.

READ ALSO: How likely is Denmark to have a general election ahead of schedule?