Some 34 Danish municipalities located in and around the capital region are united in a common front refusing to pay billions of kroner for better public services in less wealthier parts of the country.
The metropolitan group includes municipalities such as Copenhagen, Gentofte, Frederiksberg, Roskilde and Albertslund, which are altogether expected to send 12 billion kroner to the rural regions next year.
This would mean that a family living in the metropolitan area would have 96,000 kroner less in services per year compared to an average family in Region North Jutland, complains the group.
“Citizens of the metropolitan area pay so that municipalities in the rest of the country can offer a higher level of service than we can [offer] here in the metropolitan area,” stated Steen Christiansen, the mayor of Albertslund.
“This is definitely not the purpose of the compensation system. We must stop the discrimination between the metropolitan area and the rest of the country.“
The 34 municipalities are now requesting the compensation system is lowered to match the level in 2007.
