“We’ll talk further tomorrow,” said VVD party leader Sophie Hermans afterwards. “Of course it’s about a lot.” The chairmen of the coalition factions (VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie) consulted with Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the deputy prime ministers at the Ministry of Finance while enjoying pizza, especially about the substantial purchasing power package for next year. With this, the government hopes to take away a small part of the financial worries of households, now that the prices of energy in particular are rising rapidly.
The consultations on the billion-dollar agreement are being held under great time pressure: the documents must be submitted to the Council of State before the end of the month. In order to pay for the package, the coalition also has to make difficult political choices. To find the billions, cuts must be made, taxes must be raised or the national debt must rise further.
Previously, ministers hinted that a mix of incidental and structural measures is being worked on. Long-term interventions are especially expensive. This will therefore be further negotiated.