The members of Vooruit will soon consider a new vision text about a child’s first 1,000 days. The socialists want 130 days of free childcare for every child, or about six months.
“We really have to invest in that and dare to make choices,” explains chairman Conner Rousseau The morning on Radio 1. The job must be made more attractive and there must be room for every child in the shelter. “Investing in childcare pays for itself through a better level of Dutch and better social development. We live in a knowledge economy and we must use this to improve the level of our education later on.”
The socialists want to make childcare free, but not obligatory. “The intention is that childcare will be so well organized that it will not be necessary to make it mandatory,” says Rousseau, who refers to Scandinavia as an example.
2 billion euros
Education must also be organized more efficiently, for example by making better use of teachers. Classes are combined if necessary, Rousseau wants at least ten students per class. For all the investments that Vooruit wants, 2 billion euros is needed, money that the party wants to get by reforming the inheritance tax and child benefits.
1 billion euros must come from a reform of the inheritance tax, says Rousseau. “We want to make the first 250,000 euros that you inherit tax-free. We want to tax amounts above that progressively. In addition, we must amend the law so that tax constructions become impossible.”
The rest of the money must come from reforms, from a more efficient organization of education to a different distribution of child money. “Everyone keeps the same basic amount. But we will index that extra for the lowest incomes,” says Rousseau.
