Thread by @bencoates1

So, Geert Wilders finally has a government of his own. But what does it actually plan to do?

A summary of what we know so far - some of it predictable and some more shocking:

There will be a temporary Asylum Crisis Act lasting up to two years. During that period, the processing of asylum applications will be suspended and the reception of people who apply for asylum here will be 'greatly reduced'.

The Netherlands will ask Brussels for an opt-out from the existing asylum rules, so the country can set its own independent migration policy

People fleeing here from Ukraine will have to pay more

There will be a brake on the number of foreign students who are allowed to study in the Netherlands

Employers hiring from abroad will face more restrictions, including an obligation to provide shelter if workers can’t find a home

There will be stricter rules governing prayer calls from mosques.

The “eigen risico” in healthcare (the amount you pay yourself before the insurance kicks in) will remain 385 euros in 2025 and 2026. In 2027 it will increase to 165 euros. Health insurance premiums will increase, but this will be partly compensated through lower income tax.

€2 billion will be spent to ensure “working people will pay less tax”. €800m will be spent on housing allowances and children

Childcare will become “almost free” - the previous cabinet pledged this years ago but never delivered

Gas energy taxes will be cut, and tax increases for the wealthy will be reversed. Car fuel taxes will rise after 2025

There will be no “forced expropriation” of farms and efforts to shrink the livestock population will end. Fuel taxes paid by farmers will be cut. The “stikstof” problem must be addressed at the European level.

Where possible, motorway speed limits will go back to 130 (having been cut to 100 by Rutte for environmental reasons).

The civil service will be cut by €1 billion. No pay rises for politicians or civil servants

International development will be cut by €2.4 billion

Budget deficits will be kept below the EU’s 3% limit, and the national debt below 60%

The price of museum, concert and theatre tickets will go up as they’ll be taxed more

People who have installed solar panels at home will no longer get money for selling power back to the grid. Rules compelling heat pumps be installed will be scrapped.

Four new nuclear power stations will be built, and subsidies on electric cars will be binned

An extra €3bn for defence, pushing the Netherlands past the 2% NATO target.
€300m for the police and justice.

Changes to companies’ interest expense rules - effectively a tax cut for business.

The tax rate for directors and major shareholders will fall from 33 to 31 percent.

And finally, the Dutch embassy in Israel will be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

I should emphasize that big chunks of this threat are based on reporting for the AD by Hans van Soest and Elodie Verweij

Read (and please share) their good work in Dutch here:

ad.nl/politiek/dit-z…

I hit the thread limit but some brief thoughts on what this all means here:

.@janspanjaard13 points out a typo in the tweet about “eigen risico” - the excess which people pay themselves will DECREASE not increase - so for most people healthcare will get cheaper at the point of delivery (although premiums will also rise)