There is some resentment among the victims, because informal debts with friends and family are only acknowledged if a notarized deed is issued. Many victims did not, in part due to the costs. The government does not take on those debts.
3. Promotion of services
Many victims have received poor or no answers to questions for years. That’s why a year ago Rutte promised to improve government services, for example by expanding the number of Tax, Customs and Allowances Administration websites you can visit.
This is what happened, according to the Ministry of Finance. There were already 21 counters in tax offices where people could report. Nine support centers have been added in municipal offices in the past six months, mainly outside the Randstad area.
4. Discrimination and use of nationality
In his letter, Rutte referred parents who believed they had been discriminated against to the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights. Victims can ask for judgment there, and 55 people have already done so.
But it will take some time before the first case is presented. The institute first wants a public investigation into discrimination in allowances. Results are expected sometime this year, and until then no individual sessions will be scheduled.
5. STOP surcharges in their current form
“It can no longer continue as in the past” Rutte wrote a year ago: a new system of allowances must be introduced, in which parents are no longer fully responsible for the financing. This plan is also included in the new coalition agreement. The first steps must be taken by the new Minister of State for Customs and Allowances, Aukje de Vries.
