Jair's mother suddenly had to pay tens of thousands of euros, followed by almost daily visits from bailiffs.
Jair's mother suddenly had to pay tens of thousands of euros, followed by almost daily visits from bailiffs.
Bailiffs at the door every day, fleeing the Netherlands and your mother who ends up on the tax authorities fraud list. It happened to Jaïr van den Essenburg as a 9-year-old boy. Now he hopes to break the shame. “I want to show that you can get out, but you have to do it yourself.”
Maurice Gispen 12-05-24, 11:30 Last updated: 12-05-24, 14:35
To this day, Jaïr's mother is in the appeal procedure before the Implementation Organization for Recovery of Allowances (UHT). She is trying to show that she was unfairly labeled a fraud in 2008. To regain their “privacy and peace” as a family, they moved from Delft to Belgium. Because with bailiffs at home every day, walking around the neighborhood was no fun.
Like Jair's mother, there are almost 69,000 parents who have registered with the UHT as “victims” of the “benefits affair”. Between 2004 and 2019, tens of thousands of parents had to unfairly repay child allowance, causing many of them to fall into debt.
Suddenly all strangers in the house
As a result, some parents lost their homes or children were moved out of the home. 35,117 of the parents who registered have now acknowledged that they had to unfairly repay money to the tax authorities.
Jair (24) still remembers everything well. “First, it started with letters. My mother had to pay tens of thousands of euros overnight.” The single mother can't just cough up that money and ends up in a vicious cycle of debt. ,, After that, bailiffs were at the door almost every day. Once they forced the front door and suddenly there were all strangers in our house.”
Birthdays were no longer celebrated and, in order to buy dinner, Jair saw how his mother sometimes didn't eat herself. “She didn't want to let us see anything, but I secretly knew that.”
At school, too, he began to notice how other children did go on vacation. “They had something I didn't have, so kids started bullying me at school.” That is why he did not find his way at his school in Delft. When that piles up with persistent bailiffs at home, the family decides to move to a village in Belgium.
A world of difference. ,, At first, we lived in the city, got roti at the corner and went to the market in The Hague. We suddenly didn't have that anymore.” But at the same time, the distance from Delft gives them “peace and privacy” where they can slowly get back to their lives.
Professional footballer
The zest for life and joy that Jair had as a boy disappears when his mother falls into debt. “I was always active and wanted to be a professional football player, but my mother could no longer pay the contribution for the football lessons.”
There is a dark cloud over the family, as there is a great fear that Jair and his sister will be removed from home. It causes permanent unrest. “My cito scores were low and that's not surprising because when you're so stressed as a child, it affects your school results.”
I want to show that you can get out, but you have to do it yourself
Jair
But he won't leave it at that. In Belgium, he put all his memories on paper and founded the 'Jaïr Foundation' in collaboration with the Fund for Cultural Participation, with which he will guide young people from July. In addition, he is creating a podcast with the Ministry of Finance where he answers questions, especially for the children of “affected parents of the benefits affair”. With the documentary, he hopes to break the shame he has known. “I want to show that you can get out, but you have to do it yourself.”
The documentary “Child of the Allowance Scandal” will be on NTR on NPO 2 on Sunday, May 12, at 4.25 p.m.
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