Budget 2027 and infrastructure

The 2027 budget proposal presented by the government provides for a major financial effort for the Madla military base in Stavanger. According to NRK Rogaland / Stavanger, more than NOK 140 million had been allocated in 2026 to real estate, buildings and facilities at Madla. This amount is expected to more than double in 2027: the government plans to invest more than NOK 300 million at the KNM Harald Haarfagre base. The funds are to be used to renovate the facilities intended for recruit training and to build the infrastructure needed for military sensors monitoring airspace.

The same budget gives the green light to the E39 Smiene-Harestad project. The project has an overall allocation of nearly NOK 6.6 billion. It plans the construction of nearly 5 kilometres of new four-lane road between Tasta in Stavanger and Harestad in Randaberg. The full details of the route and associated structures have not yet been fully disclosed in the NRK Rogaland / Stavanger report.

The issue of electric cars is also provoking reactions in Stavanger. The budget proposes an increase in taxes on electric vehicles and a lowering of the VAT exemption threshold, which is expected to make their price more expensive from 1 January. Anne Beth Eckhoff, from Stavanger, who has driven an electric car for 6 years, says she is uncertain about buying a new one under these conditions (NRK Rogaland / Stavanger). Christina Bu, secretary general of Elbilforeningen, believes that the budget punishes electric car buyers and represents a sharp increase in taxes on the models consumers should choose, again according to NRK Rogaland / Stavanger.