A plan by CU MP Grinwis won a majority on Thursday. He proposed transferring approximately a quarter of the 1.7 billion euros for maintaining the discount on fuel excise duties to public transport, to prevent impoverishment, especially in the regions.
But this will make refueling a lot more expensive from January. By maintaining the discount at the pump, the government had prevented a price increase of more than 20 cents per liter of gasoline. But this intervention by the House now adds about 5.5 cents to the already sky-high petrol prices. A liter of diesel will be 3.5 cents more expensive and LPG about 1.5 cents.
The majority in favor of the plan came partly because the CDA decided to vote in favor, as did D66 and GL/PvdA. The Christian Democrats and other parties were faced with a difficult dilemma due to the CU proposal: they had to choose between supporting public transport or sparing car drivers. Due to the support of the above-mentioned parties, and the Animal Party, SP, 50Plus and Volt, this is to the detriment of car drivers.
Lighting for landlords
Contrary to expectations, there was also a majority in favor of reversing a tax increase in box 3 that mainly affected landlords. The majority of the House was not in favor of this, but did not seem to agree on how the bill of more than 2 billion euros should be paid.
But a majority has still supported a plan by CU, SGP and BBB. They propose to have the bill paid by homeowners by phasing out the so-called Hillen Act more quickly. This is a tax credit that people with a (nearly) paid-off mortgage can take advantage of.
This benefit is already being gradually phased out and would expire in 2048. The parties propose to accelerate this so that the advantage is off the table in 2042. CU, SGP and BBB received support from a colorful coalition of PVV, GL/PvdA, JA21, FVD, Denk, the Animal Party and Volt.
Airline tax for private jets
Another eye-catching proposal that received a majority is that there will also be a flight tax for private jets. A majority supported a proposal from GL/PvdA to also introduce these flights, now that the tax for long-distance flights is also increasing.
Due to implementation issues, this will only be possible in 2030, but then there will be a tax of at least 420 euros per passenger for aircraft that can accommodate fewer than twenty people. That rate is for short flights. For medium flights it increases to 1,015 euros per passenger and for long flights it becomes even 2,100 euros.