Repairing the benefits affair risks being unprecedented: an additional 5 billion
NOS News•Monday, May 13, 6:00 PM
Repairing the benefits affair risks being unprecedented: an additional 5 billion
- Jorn Jonker
- political reporter
Handling the benefits affair risks being even 5 billion euros more expensive than expected. A secret note from the Ministry of Finance, which the NOS has seen, shows that the costs of the recovery operation can be unprecedented, up to a total of 14 billion euros.
This is mainly the result of a new method of compensating victims, carried out by a foundation run by Princess Laurentien, the note shows. Officials wonder whether the large amounts associated with this are still explainable. On average, victims receive 128,000 euros in compensation via the new method.
The costs for the recovery operation were already much higher than thought possible at the start. Initially, it was thought that half a billion euros would be enough to compensate victims. Earlier this year, the budget for the recovery operation already grew to more than nine billion euros.
And that could therefore become more than fourteen billion euros if the cabinet continues on the same path, with 'the Laurentian method'. Outgoing Finance Minister Van Weyenberg has also been informed about this.
The Ministry of Finance does not answer many questions from the NOS about this. However, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Aukje de Vries for Allowances says that the Laurentien method started as a “large-scale pilot”. “As previously reported to the House of Representatives, based on an evaluation of this pilot, a cabinet decision will soon be made on the continuation of the new damage route and the House of Representatives will be informed about this.”
“Laurentian Method”
The 'Laurentie' method was devised by the Equal Recovery Foundation, founded by Princess Laurentien. The foundation offers parents an alternative to the tax authorities's laborious recovery operation.
The princess says she feels strongly involved with the victims. She said she was ashamed of the benefits scandal. That is why, together with the victims, she developed a method to accelerate recovery surgery.
Parents can tell their story once at the foundation and compensation will be calculated based on elements of the story. For example, if there was a divorce during the time when the stress caused by the benefits affair increased, there is a standard amount.
Secretary of State De Vries authorized a pilot project with the foundation's alternative method.
Of course, parents like to be helped quickly and generously, but Finance officials are concerned that victims receive an average of 128,000 euros via 'the Laurentian method'. That amount is in addition to any other compensation that they have received.
And that means, with more than 50,000 victims involved and costs for implementation, a much higher cost than ever expected. Through the work of this foundation alone, the costs could reach 6.6 billion euros, five billion more than had been reserved.
The NOS spoke to an official from the Ministry of Finance's Implementation Service for Recovery of Surcharges (UHT). He says on an anonymous basis that there is a lot of dissatisfaction in the workplace that parents don't have to prove much using the Laurentien method. Parents who have only been threatened to recover benefits but never happened will also receive compensation. “Disproportionate”, the official believes what is paid out via the Laurentien method.
According to the official, even victims who were quickly compensated and were initially satisfied with it are now reporting to the Equal Recovery Foundation because more money can be obtained there. “We see an aspirating effect”.
According to the official, the state of affairs is still difficult to explain to taxpayers and other people who are in a bad way. The official sees that the amounts paid out via the foundation's method can be up to a ton higher than by the regular route, and at the UHT, they already had the idea of compensating generously. “In our opinion, the biggest risk is the possibility of such a large overcompensation that it is really impossible to explain.”
Insiders say that the Laurentien method is already in much further stages than the pilot phase. Money has already been reserved for it and recovery surgery employees can refer parents to the foundation. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell other parents that this route is not open to them after all.
Formation table
The information about the additional costs for the recovery operation has not yet gone to the formation table. The news will be an additional challenge for the four parties, as they are already having a lot of trouble agreeing on the finances.
VVD and NSC want to tighten their belts and cut back to keep government finances in order. PVV and BBB attach less importance to budgetary discipline and mainly focus on reducing burdens for citizens.
Political reporter Marleen de Rooy:
“Everyone in political The Hague is ashamed of what was done to the affected benefit parents. In all emotion, there are many different arrangements. If one arrangement does not go fast enough, another will be created. Princess Laurentien's foundation cycles right through that. They want to listen, but that costs billions.
That is certainly being raised about this, but only behind the scenes. No one dares say it out loud, afraid of bumping someone in the head.”
In response, the Equal Recovery Foundation states that the amounts paid out through the foundation in the process “do justice to what was done to affected families.”
A spokesperson also emphasizes that this is a pilot project, in which more than a hundred parents have received compensation so far. “Based on this first group, it is too early to say anything about what total amounts are needed to complete the recovery operation in a dignified way.”
.avif)