Administration and Politics
Regions are led by directly elected councils (regionsråd). They consist of 41 members each. Elections are held simultaneously with municipal elections every four years. The last Danish local elections were held on 17 November 2009.
Unlike the former counties, regions are not entitled to levy their own taxes. Thus, the present regions rely entirely on central state funding (around 70%) and funding coming from the municipalities (around 30%). A central government "health contribution" tax (sundhedsbidrag) at 8.00% on the preliminary and final income statement forms has replaced the county tax (amtsskat).
90% of the budgets of the regions are allocated to the national health service. Health issues have remained the primary hot issue in regional politics, especially because grand changes of Denmark's hospital layout were announced immediately after the municipal reform. The new hospital schemes have not been fully finalised yet (as of 2009).
Read more about this topic: Regions Of Denmark
Famous quotes containing the word politics:
“I believe you to be a brave and a skillful soldier, which, of course, I like. I also believe you do not mix politics with your profession, in which you are right.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)