Shame that gov't didn't prevent benefits scandal, Rutte says in parliamentary inquiry

Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte is ashamed that he and his Cabinet were unable to prevent tens of thousands of people from being plunged into financial ruin by the Tax Authority’s hunt for alleged fraudsters. He said that after a lengthy interrogation by the parliamentary committee of inquiry that is delving into the fraud approach of Rutte’s Cabinets, among others.

“I think it is a shame that we were unable to determine together before 2019 that a drama was unfolding,” Rutte said. He also responded specifically to Milton Moreira Moreno, the son of an affected mother. “In a “very impressive” questioning session, Moreira Moreno revealed how the benefits scandal has marked his life forever. His youth has, in fact, been stolen away, the now adult victim told the committee of inquiry.

Rutte acknowledged that Moreira Moreno’s story is one “among many.” His interrogation once again revealed how the top of the Cabinet overlooked the Tax Authority’s ruthless approach. Rutte also missed signals, he acknowledged, although he again emphasized that the fraud hunt happened “deep in the Tax Authorities.” But the harsh 2017 report from the National Ombudsman was an alarm bell that he missed, Rutte admitted.

It was the second time Rutte testified before the parliamentary inquiry. Last month, he spoke about his role in the scandal as former State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment Opportunity between 2002 and 2004.

The scandal saw thousands of parents wind up in dire financial situations after the Belastingdienst cut them off from their childcare subsidies, and ordered them to repay all the money they received in prior years in one lump sum, sometimes tens of thousands of euros. A parliamentary committee tasked with investigating the abuses found that parents faced unprecedented injustice, and the third Cabinet of Prime Minister Mark Rutte collapsed.