Nearly 40 percent of the money that the government transfers to accommodate refugees from Ukraine remains unused. No one seems to mind, even though millions are involved.
Research by Dagblad van het Noorden shows that the municipalities in Drenthe and Groningen make good money from hosting Ukrainians. The government reimburses 83 euros per night per refugee, initially it was even 100 euros.
That turns out to be generous. Of the 133.5 million euros that the 22 municipalities received from The Hague last year, 38 percent was not spent. More than 50 million euros too much was transferred.
The country would have been too small if the reverse were the case. It is unthinkable that municipalities would have to allocate 50 million euros to the reception of refugees.
Money box
But it remains silent. The municipalities spend the money at their own discretion. Sometimes as a piggy bank, for the reception of Ukrainians in the near future. Others add it to general reserves. They might do great things with it for their residents in the future. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it is strange.
The situation in Ukraine is degrading. Ordinary men, who were garage owners, office clerks or teachers before the raid, find themselves back in the trenches. The bombs are flying around their ears. Millions of Ukrainians have understandably fled. More than 100,000 of them have found refuge in the Netherlands. Especially women and children, their husbands fight at the front.
It is a strange sensation that municipalities are profiting from this human drama. That 50 million is left over from last year. It is expected that many more millions will be added this year. No rooster crows about it.
Prize shooting
It has already been a week in which money has been thrown around. The Hague was dedicated to Budget Day and the subsequent General Reflections. The cabinet is outgoing, so the factions in the House of Representatives had a hard time.
A total of 4 billion euros was added. This must be in addition to the additional 2 billion that the government already had in mind to prevent poverty in the Netherlands from growing.
That 4 billion should lead to an increase in the minimum wage by 1.7 percent (for the record, that is 19 cents per hour, or 7.60 euros per week, for an adult who works 40 hours a week), the child-related budget increases and the costs of childcare should increase less than planned. In addition, excise duties on diesel and petrol may not increase, nor should the price of public transport tickets.
In the meantime, the planned cuts to the municipal fund remain standing. Three billion euros less is recorded in the national budget. Almost all parties are talking about strengthening ‘the region’ in view of the elections. If these significant cuts remain, little will come of these great plans.
Anyone who takes this into account will see that the attitude of the municipalities in Drenthe and Groningen is not so bad. Even if it is on the backs of Ukrainians who have fled.