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Dutch parents who were wrongly accused of fraud by the Dutch tax office and forced to repay thousands in childcare benefit want their names cleared and better support from local councils.
Rotterdam city council last Friday announced that it will be repaying the private debts that the worst-affected 50 local victims took on in order to pay back benefits. But others have told DutchNews.nl that it is unclear what has happened with €11m the government has given local councils to help, while consistent, practical support is desperately needed.
‘It won’t work for every council to have its own policies,’ said Lynn Woodrow, one wronged parent from Sneek in Friesland. ‘It’s not that council employees don’t want to help: they don’t get any information. The communication between the VNG [councils’ association], the tax office and the town councils seems very bad.’
NetherlandsRotterdamZuid-hollandSneekFrieslandUnited-kingdomGroningenLelystadFlevolandAmsterdamNoord-hollandDutchnews
Dutch vote as Covid crisis looms large © Getty Images Thirty-seven parties are standing in the Dutch election
His government collapsed over a racial profiling scandal in the tax office, his country was the last in Europe to roll-out its vaccination programme, and with an average of 5,000 new daily infections, the Netherlands remains under its strictest lockdown to date.
And yet, Mark Rutte, the prime minister who presided over all of this, is odds on for a fourth term in an election involving 37 different political parties.
Why this election matters
With coronavirus restrictions in place, polls opened for vulnerable voters on 15 March, and everyone else votes on Wednesday in what will be the first "Covid election" in the EU this year.
NetherlandsAmsterdamNoord-hollandDutchKristie-rongenDonald-trumpSigrid-kaagGeert-wildersThierry-baudetBaudet-fvJesse-klaverMark-rutteBBC News
By Anna Holligan
image captionThirty-seven parties are standing in the Dutch election
His government collapsed over a racial profiling scandal in the tax office, his country was the last in Europe to roll-out its vaccination programme, and with an average of 5,000 new daily infections, the Netherlands remains under its strictest lockdown to date.
And yet, Mark Rutte, the prime minister who presided over all of this, is odds on for a fourth term in an election involving 37 different political parties.
Why this election matters
With coronavirus restrictions in place, polls opened for vulnerable voters on 15 March, and everyone else votes on Wednesday in what will be the first "Covid election" in the EU this year.
NetherlandsAmsterdamNoord-hollandDutchKristie-rongenDonald-trumpSigrid-kaagGeert-wildersThierry-baudetAnna-holliganBaudet-fvJesse-klaverDutch elections: How COVID-19 salvaged Mark Rutte's bid amid scandal
Despite a shocking child benefits fraud scandal and sluggish COVID-19 measures, Dutch leader Mark Rutte remains popular going into the general election. How has 'Teflon Mark' emerged from such crises unscathed?
Mark Rutte is seeking a fourth term in office, as Dutch voters head to the polls on March 17
For so many, ringing in the New Year brings hope and a chance to start anew. But for Kristie Rongen, it marked the day she could no longer carry on.
"I was walking alone and said: 'This is enough.'"
She made her way toward the frigid Dutch shores of Lelystad, intent on succumbing to the numbing currents when, suddenly, a dog raced toward her and distracted Rongen. She remembered her three children, drove back home, and sought medical help the next day.
NetherlandsBussumNoord-hollandLelystadFlevolandClingendaelZuid-hollandVeldenLimburgAmsterdamDutchKristie-rongenMr Rutte replied he thought the situation was “dreadful”.
He added: “Lots of things have gone badly wrong, other things have gone wrong, but we’re working our socks off, together with the parents’ panels, to put it right.”
However, Ms Rongen cut in: “You’re complicit in this.”
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Mr Rutte was joined in the debate by Geert Wilders, a controversial figure in Dutch politics who has been referred to as the ‘Dutch Donald Trump’.
Geert Wilders formed the Party for Freedom (PVV) in 2006 after he severed ties with the centre-right Liberals (VVD) and the party is now the largest Dutch opposition party.
ParisFrance-generalFranceNetherlandsMoroccoMoroccanDutchKristie-rongenNadia-zeroualiMark-rutteGeert-wildersPeople-party-for-freedom | UPDATED: 20:27, Tue, Mar 2, 2021
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The current Dutch Cabinet is led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who presides over a coalition made up of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, Christian Democratic Appeal, Democrats 66 and the Christian Union. But the grouping collapsed earlier this year and now, in the run-up to parliamentary elections later this month, centre-right and extreme right parties are taking the lead in the polls. According to polls conducted by Politico, The People’s Party for Freedom (VVD), a centre-right party led by Mr Rutte, continues to lead. The party is expected to gain seats compared to the last election. The opposition far-right nationalist Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, is running just behind the VVD in polls, and is also expected to increase the number of seats held in Parliament.
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