Child care allowance will increase further next year than originally planned. After considerable insistence from the House of Representatives, Minister Karien van Gennip (Social Affairs) agreed to a second increase.
According to political journalist Leendert Beekman, Van Gennip agreed because he would fear the consequences. “He’s afraid that if people can’t afford childcare anymore, they’ll quit work or start working part-time,” he says. “He wants to prevent that, which is why he’s made extra money available to ensure that the allowance can be raised a bit.”
The initiative, presented by GroenLinks and PvdA, provides for a further 45 million euros in addition to the 57 million euros already released. Beekman: ‘Due to the increase, the maximum hourly rate reimbursed will go from 8.50 euros to 9.12 euros. So we’re talking 62 cents. Then you also have to consider how much more expensive the cure has become – ten percent. So if you’re paying 8.50 for child care now, you really should have added 85 cents, so you’re still not going to make it.”
Pay the extra anyway
This means that parents who send their children to kindergarten have to pay something extra. Yet the House is satisfied with the decision. “The PvdA’s Attje Kuiken was delighted that the Cabinet had taken an extra step to mitigate rising childcare costs,” says Beekman. So there is satisfaction. And you see it more often in The Hague, because they ask a lot and always pay much less. We have to be content with this, this too is political.”
Source: BNR
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.
