Structural inequality between social groups is not diminishing, even though many policies have been implemented to reduce that gap. That is what the Social and Cultural Planning Office has found today in their report Difference in the Netherlands. The study makes a comparison between 2014 and 2020.
“This involves major differences in self-reliance between citizens, especially between people who have more and less access to resources such as work and income, social networks, care and support or training,” says Kim Putters, director of the SCP in the Netherlands. news hour. “Time and again in our research we see groups of vulnerable citizens who have been left behind for years, partly because the arrears are piling up with them in several areas.”
One of the reasons that vulnerable citizens are getting into more and more trouble is the complexity of the allowance system, according to Amma Assante, chairman of the National Client Council. “The government grants people money in advance and only looks afterwards whether they should have received it. If they then have to pay back everything, they get into debt and that takes care of the ‘working poor’.”
Putters also agrees that it is partly due to the “complicated regulations” and that people have difficulty finding the “right counter”. “There is a group that is structurally lagging behind and is not being taken seriously. We have known that for a long time and the cabinet says they will do something about it, but we see too little that the position is improving.”
Repay thousands of euros
If you have earned just too much money afterwards, you sometimes have to repay the full surcharge. “These people who are involved often don’t have a fat piggy bank that they can empty if there is such a retrospective assessment,” Assante says. “People are building up debts that they didn’t ask for. They are debts that the government has caused by a much too complex system.”
Alex Schepel is one of the people who is always insecure about the allowances for his family. His wife worked for half a year to bring in some extra money and they had indicated this, but it turned out afterwards that they had received too much allowance. Their daughter who lives at home also has to pay close attention to how much money she can earn in her first job:
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‘It grabs me by the throat’
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“It’s about whether people are doing well,” says Putters. “So not only whether the labor market is doing well, how much they can work and how secure their work is. But it is also often linked to debt or insecurity, the health care bill, and often there is also something wrong with the children at school. hand. It’s an accumulation of problems. The group of people involved is quite large, about 28 percent of the population, and it has not gotten any better.”
“We demand the most effort from the people who can afford it the least,” Assante said. “The personal contact from person to person has almost disappeared when you have to arrange these kinds of things and that really has to be returned.”
Polarization
Putters realizes that there will always be differences and that the government cannot solve everything. “But where the government does have a responsibility, is that it structurally puts some groups at a disadvantage. The problem is that society has the feeling that they cannot rely on hard work, doing your best and good contact to get ahead.” That devalues and polarizes society.”
“A reality check is needed on government policy,” says Putters. “Just looking at permanent work is not the whole solution. It also concerns the tax papers, a reminder from the health insurer, the feasibility of the rules. Now people are getting entangled and can no longer keep their heads above water. We have to get back to human nature. measure.”
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