“People need money now,” says PVV leader Wilders when Prime Minister Rutte’s answer to his proposals, and those of other parties, is always that the cabinet first wants to see whether those plans can be implemented. Rutte does hint that he has feelings for the plans of PvdA and GL, among other things, which want a one-off autumn allowance of 500 euros for everyone who receives health care allowance.
“If you look through your eyelashes like this, that 500 euros could still be done this year,” says Rutte. But he does not know for sure and he does not make a commitment. Minister Kaag (Finance) also mentions the ‘plussing’ of the energy allowance of 800 euros that the cabinet has created for lower incomes. But the cabinet wants to see whether the plans are feasible and where the money should come from.
“I feel on all sides that the cabinet is saying: we see that we have to do something, we find it complicated in the technology, we have to find out exactly,” says PvdA party leader Kuiken. But she, like other parties, is not satisfied with the latter. “That should have happened recently,” says GL leader Klaver. “What on earth are we doing here then?” asks Wilders.
The House therefore sends the cabinet away with homework. That should investigate which plans of the opposition are feasible and implementable in the short term, after which the House wants to resume the debate.
Earlier in the debate, a door was opened to bring in more money for purchasing power plans. The entire coalition now appears to be in favor of a so-called solidarity levy: an extra profit tax for companies that earn extra money in times of crisis thanks to the nature of that crisis. In the context of the war in Russia, this could be, for example, energy companies that make substantial profits from high prices.
The VVD, which is still categorically against a similar plan in the corona crisis, has now switched. Party leader Hermans calls it ‘quite an interesting idea’ that ‘we should explore and investigate’.