ANP Ministers Schouten and Van Gennip
NOS News•today, 12:53•Edited today, 13:54
Ministers Van Gennip of Social Affairs and Schouten for Poverty Policy believe that the outgoing cabinet should get to work to prevent poverty in the Netherlands from increasing next year. The Central Planning Bureau said this morning that without new policy, the number of people living in poverty will increase by almost one percentage point, towards 1 million.
Van Gennip calls that observation painful: “That is not something you want in a decent country like the Netherlands. We have to look closely at that and we have to do something about it. We really have to ensure that people can make ends meet.”
Her colleague Schouten agrees with Van Gennip. “There are always people behind the figures. I see it as an assignment to ensure that we do not allow poverty to increase so much and that we as a cabinet really have to take measures.”
Do not rule out an increase in the burden
The outgoing cabinet will have its first meeting after the holidays tomorrow and in the coming weeks it will consider the budget that will be submitted to the House of Representatives on Prinsjesdag. Van Gennip and Schouten do not want to anticipate too much on what they think the plans should look like. They both react critically to statements made by their fellow Minister Adriaansens of Economic Affairs.
The VVD minister said yesterday in response to figures from Statistics Netherlands about a recession that “we have to be careful with tax increases”. Van Gennip (CDA) thinks that statement is too early. “We have to look closely at how we give perspective to the people who are at risk of falling through the ice. We are going for that together and that must be paid for in one way or another. All options are on the table.” Van Gennip acknowledges that the caretaker status of the cabinet does not make the discussion any easier: “But we do have a responsibility for the Netherlands.”
Schouten (ChristenUnie) also does not want to rule out the possibility of an increase in the tax burden: “It is clear that we have to support people who are really in trouble or who are at risk of getting into it. How we are going to pay for this, we will discuss in the coming days in the cabinet. Because if you are going to spend something, you also have to pay for it from something.”
Adriaansens emphasizes again today on the social medium X that “we must ensure that entrepreneurs can do business and continue to invest.” She adds that stability is now of great importance. “Also towards Prinsjesdag.”
2023-08-17 10:53:52
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