It cannot be a coincidence: just when Frans Timmermans started talking about a millionaire tax in Khalid & Sophie yesterday, Gerard Ekdom and Patty Brard came into the picture. Still, she gives him a hug…
Frans Timmermans is out. After a long period of restraint, the election campaign has now started for him too. The leader of GroenLinks and PvdA made a major TV appearance last night in Khalid & Sophie, where all his hobbyhorses were discussed. One of them was increasing taxes.
Millionaire tax
Frans believes there should be a millionaire tax. “I think that people who are millionaires in the Netherlands and earn a lot of money should also contribute more to what we collectively need. You will have to ensure that you let people contribute to the future of the Netherlands in an honest way.”
Just when Frans pronounces the word ‘millionaires’, the somewhat false direction of Khalid & Sophie takes two other guests into the picture: Talpa millionaires Gerard Ekdom and Patty Brard. And the direction hits the mark, because at that moment they are like two beaten dogs. Of course, they don’t want such an extra tax at all.
Hug for Frans
The question is therefore when exactly Patty was cuddling with Frans behind the scenes at the NPO. The 68-year-old television diva has retired Instagram posted a photo of her hanging around the left-wing leader, but was that before or after she saw him aiming his arrows at millionaires like her?
Patty has no room at all for a higher tax payment. She recently complained that Ibiza, where she lives part-time, is becoming expensive even for celebrities. Does Frans take this into account when he goes on television to shout that millionaires should pay more taxes? Can Patty still go to the Pacha later?
Calculate
Frans promises that a calculator will take over all his ideas. “We make plans for this and have them calculated. Then people will know before the elections where they stand with us.”
Anyway: was Khalid’s interview with Frans a bit critical? Or was it too much of a hot bath? “I thought they both did well,” says star interviewer Antoinnette Scheulderman on X.