A large government report from last year shows that there is: the gap between rich and poor. Much of Dutch wealth is held by a small group and people with low incomes pay relatively more taxes.
“A tax plan already existed at the end of 2022 with measures to close that gap,” says political journalist Leendert Beekman, “but it doesn’t go far enough for the GroenLinks and PvdA parties.” Today they will present further proposals to the House of Representatives.
“Both sides would ideally like a radical overhaul of the tax system,” says Beekman, “but of course they know that this is not possible within this coalition, because it is not in the coalition agreement.” The left-wing parties are therefore limited to two bills: a progressive wealth tax and a combination of bills to combat tax avoidance through box two.
VVD ‘see the storm coming’
Even before the debate began, VVD deputy Folkert Idsinga announced that he would hold back. “I can already see the storm coming for the Dutch if these parts get their way,” he said. ‘They want to tax ordinary people and Dutch entrepreneurs more heavily. It’s not something I stand for.’
GroenLinks and PvdA took a new step towards a merger at a joint party congress last weekend. PvdA leader Kuiken called it a historic moment: “This congress will go down in the history books.” Observers spoke of a sinister cloud.