Dutch economy ‘to grow by 3.5% next year’, as pre budget leaks start
The Dutch economy is set to grow by 3.5% next year, according to cabinet forecasts due to be published when the 2022 budget is revealed on Tuesday.
The Telegraaf has seen one of the documents in which finance minister Wopke Hoekstra outlines the state of the government’s finances, and which show spending will outstrip income by almost €19bn next year.
Hoekstra does say that a one-off amount of €6.8bn will be allocated to climate policy, mainly for implementing the climate agreement reached at the start of this cabinet’s term in office, and for investment in the energy infrastructure.
A further €400m will go to tackle organised crime, €154m to legal aid and €154m on ‘protection and security’. Earlier it leaked that €100m extra is being allocated every year for the next 10 years to speed up the house building programme.
Some extra cash has also been earmarked to keep the spending power of single income households on an even keel. However, there will be no overall increase in spending power, the Telegraaf said.
The government always presents its spending plans for the coming year on the third Tuesday in September, which is officially the start of the new parliamentary year.
This year no major changes can be expected because the government is acting in a caretaker role and is not allowed to bring in policy which could be considered controversial.
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.
We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.
Make a donation