INTRODUCTION

Talk to your partner and answer the question below.

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BEFORE YOU READ

Exercise 1

Answer the questions. Use ​Skell Sketch Engine​ in case of doubts.

a. What can be slashed?

b. What can be submitted?

c. What do some people lack?

d. What can be spurred?

e. What can be claimed back?

Exercise 2

Think about your country:

a) What types of tax breaks are you familiar with?

b) Have you or anybody you know ever got a tax break? Why?

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 READING

Exercise 3
Use the verbs from the box to fill in the gaps 1-11. Remember to change the form of
the verbs where necessary.

hope spur introduce make throw slash lack repair

submit x2 claim

The Swedish government is ​1) _________ ​tax breaks on repairs to everything from
bicycles to washing machines so it will no longer make sense to ​2) ______​out old or
broken items and buy new ones.

Sweden’s ruling Social Democrat and Green party coalition is set to ​3) ______
proposals to parliament on Tuesday to ​4) ______ ​the VAT rate on repairs to
bicycles, clothes and shoes from 25% to 12%. It will also ​5) ________ ​a proposal
that would allow people to ​6) _______ ​back from income tax half of the labour cost
on repairs to appliances such as fridges, ovens, dishwashers and washing
machines.

“We believe that this could substantially lower the cost and so ​7) _______​ it more
rational economic behaviour to ​8) ________ ​your goods,” said Per Bolund, Sweden’s
minister for financial markets and consumer affairs. Bolund ​9) _____ ​the tax break
on appliances will ​10) ________ ​the creation of a new home-repairs service industry,
providing much-needed jobs for new immigrants who ​11) _______ ​formal education.
SOURCE

Exercise 4

Students A: with the person to your left discuss the following:

1. What do you consider to be the biggest benefit of this project?

2. What do you think could be the biggest obstacle in carrying it out?

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WATCHING

Exercise 5

a) Watch the ​video​. Write down any new information about the project you haven’t
learnt from the text.

b) Students A: compare your notes with the person to your right. Add new ideas to
your notes.

Exercise 6

a) Think of 3 different words to modify the meaning of the nouns given.

Use ​Skell Sketch Engine​ in case of doubts.

Culture Goods

Impact Chemicals

b) How are these nouns modified in the video? Watch the video again to check. Add
the adjectives to the table.

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c) Write down questions that 3 of the collocations above can answer. Ask your
partner to answer them.
Ex: In Sweden, you get a tax break for repairing those.​ → white goods

1.

2.

3.

AFTER YOU WATCH

Exercise 7

a) Choose 6 keywords that are crucial to understand the Swedish tax initiative and
write them in the table below.

b) Ask your partner to summarise the story using the keywords from the table. Tick
the keywords they have used.

c) Look at your partner’s table and summarise the story using the keywords. Ask
them to tick the keywords you have used.

d) Compare the two stories. Was their meaning and focus similar or different? Why?

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ANSWER KEY

Exercise 1
a) throat, budget, price, tax, funding, emission
b) report, proposal, application, request, claim, petition
c) ability, confidence, skill, knowledge, courage, education
d) growth, innovation, investment, boom, creation of sth
e) tax, time, throne

Exercise 3

1 introducing / to introduce 7 make

2 throw 8 repair

3 submit 9 is hoping

4 slash 10 spur

5 submit 11 lack

6 claim

Exercise 5
a)​ ​the aim of the tax break is to lower the environmental impact Swedes make, the
scheme is supposed to be quite costly but it will be funded by a new tax on harmful
chemicals in white goods, the government is hoping to encourage better quality
products, the government doesn’t want to discourage people from buying products,

Exercise 6
a)

popular consumer

high-brow Culture luxury Goods

ancient home

profound toxic

environmental Impact industrial Chemicals

potential body
b) ​Throwaway culture, White goods, Environmental impact, Harmful chemicals

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