Browse Topics
Tools
Editor's choice

Learning Dutch is a must!

Sint comes to town

A guide to childcare in the Netherlands

Dutch u-turn on soft drugs tolerance

Yoga--a beginner's guide and where to take classes in the Netherlands

Report: Expatica's "i am not a tourist" Fair 2009

A parent's guide to the Dutch education system

Amsterdam grapples with integration since filmmaker's murder

Wilders debate: shouting or convincing?

Internaxx Stock Market
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.3 0.50
DAX 5252.45 1.50
IBEX 30 10726.8 0.59
CAC 40 3377.59 1.40
FTSE 100 4564.5 0.79
AEX 276.85 0.95
DJIA 9096.72 -0.13
Nasdaq 1975.51 0.39
FTSE MIB 20341.67 1.65
TSX Composite 10570.54 -1.74
ASX 4148.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20135.5 -2.37
Straits Times 0.00
ISEQ 20 442.48 0.27
You are here: Home Education Pre-school Cuts in child care subsidies unite opposition

09/09/2008Cuts in child care subsidies unite opposition

Cuts in child care subsidies unite opposition.

Few issues unite the left-wing and right-wing opposition in the Lower House. But with budget-day just over a week away, the conservative VVD and GreenLeft do agree that child care for working parents should be cheaper, so that more women can join the work force. 
                               
The two parties also want to gradually abolish tax relief for housewives. GreenLeft says it has an alternative plan which makes the government cuts redundant, and even provides extra money to improve the quality of child care facilities. The party wants to make the current universal child allowance income related, and introduce means-testing for child care subsidies. The VVD, however, are against means-testing, and instead want to cut child care subsidies for parents who abuse the system by using facilities on days they are not in fact at work.
 
When the Christian Democrats, the Labour Party and the Christian Union formed a cabinet one of their main policies was free child care for working parents. Unfortunately the measure has been so popular that the coalition parties had to tinker with the details to bring down costs.
 
children in a creche 
                Children in a kindergarten (photo flickr) 
 
As a result, one of the worst hit groups will be child-minders. Education Minister Sharon Dijksma plans to cut child-minder subsidies from 6 to 2.5 euros per hour. A survey by the Dutch child-minder organisation PKGO has revealed that more parents will have to work less if the cuts go ahead. In one in five families one of the parents will have to stop working altogether. In addition, 45% of child-minders will have to stop taking in children. This will mainly effect low income workers and people who work outside office hours, such as health care workers and the police. 

0 reactions to this article

Inside Expatica
Healthcare in the Netherlands

Healthcare in the Netherlands

Here’s a current guide to health insurance, doctors, dentists and pharmacies.

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2009.

The Netherlands at a glance

The Netherlands at a glance

Some basic facts and figures about living and working in the Netherlands.

Giving birth in the Netherlands

Giving birth in the Netherlands

The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.