According to Rutte, the process of arriving at a Spring Memorandum is therefore ‘really different from other years’. The leaders of the VVD, D66, ChristenUnie and the CDA first want to seek ‘broad support in the House’ before presenting the amended budget plans.
The talks concluded around 2:30 a.m. If it is up to the coalition parties, the link between the state pension and the minimum wage will be restored. Defense spending is being significantly increased. And billions are going to compensate people who have paid too much savings tax.
Account for companies
Companies and people with a lot of wealth foot the bill: they will pay more tax. For example, companies will pay the high rate for profit tax more quickly, from an amount of 200,000 euros. And there are plans to hit directors-majority shareholders more heavily.
It was previously suggested to free up money by cutting the Wopke Wiebes fund, the climate fund or by increasing the budget deficit. But that’s probably not necessary.
–
–
Furthermore, the coalition has chosen to compensate only the 60,000 savers who had objected to their attack for the time being. That saves billions of euros. There is, however, a risk that more people will have to be compensated at a later date and billions will have to be found again.
The coalition parties have put their heads together several times in recent weeks to see how the gaps that have arisen can be closed. At the start of the spring negotiations, Minister Kaag of Finance made it clear that she wants to strictly monitor compliance with the budget rules.
‘First big test’
“By finding a solution for the billion-dollar budget gap, the coalition has passed the first major test,” says political reporter Roel Schreinemachers. “But they are not there yet. Because the cabinet does not have a majority in the Senate and therefore still has to look for support from the opposition.”
Although the basis for an agreement has been laid, Prime Minister Rutte emphatically does not want to talk about it yet. “He does not stop emphasizing that the cabinet really wants to do something different than before, and that there is therefore still room for the opposition to come up with ideas,” says Schreinemachers.
–
–
Kaag said last week that she wants to talk to the opposition together with Prime Minister Rutte. When and how is not yet clear. Some opposition parties will drop out anyway. And the demands of GroenLinks and PvdA go so far that a deal with these parties is not considered very likely.
Hope for JA21
The hopes are mainly pinned on JA21, although that will not be easy either. Party leader Eerdmans would undoubtedly be very satisfied if a large bite is taken from the climate fund, but some coalition parties do not like that. It is not yet clear whether JA21 can also be satisfied with other promises.
–
–
“In any case, we have come so far that we want to suspend these conversations for the time being”, Rutte said last night after the consultation. “This also makes the process different from other years. Then we tried to complete it completely. We don’t do that. We first want to talk about the various topics with the other groups, opposition groups.”
Give other factions a chance
Rutte said he already sees a ‘direction’. “The atmosphere is good, but very consciously said: we stop here. First consultation with others. We really want to give opposition groups the opportunity to find something about this.” The prime minister indicates that he will be able to say more in the second half of May, after ‘all ideas have also been collected from other groups’.
–
–
