Little support for Dutch cabinet’s €5 billion tax break plan

There seems to be little support for the Dutch cabinet's plan for 5 billion euros in tax breaks for citizens and businesses. Opposition party D66 already announced that the party will be voting against the plan, The cabinet needs several opposition parties' support to get the tax plan through the Eerste Kamer, Senate, in December. The coalition of the VVD and PvdA only has 21 of the 75 seats, far from the majority. Without the D66's support, the tax plan may well be rejected. The cabinet's plan promises 5 billion euros in tax breaks and 35 thousand jobs. D66 leader Alexander Pechtold does not approve of this plan. "It is playing Sinterklaas for the wrong reasons", he said in an interview with Dutch newspaper AD. According to him the plan does not create enough jobs and is not "green" enough. "What it is is an unimaginative, frantic package. For clarity: that money, the 5 billion, is not left over, it is borrowed." He would rather see part of that money put into tackling unemployment and sustainability. A spokesperson for the D66 confirmed the party's intention to vote against the plan to NU.nl. The Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament, spent many hours discussing the tax plan over the past few weeks. On Tuesday the parties are continuing the negotiations.