1,800 parents maybe eligible for compensation over halted childcare allowances: committee

Another 1,800 parents may be eligible for compensation in the so-called childcare allowance affair, the Donner Committee concluded on Thursday, after investigating cases in which the Tax Authority wrongfully labeled parents as fraudsters and halting their childcare allowance as a result, NOS and NU.nl report.

The victims of this affair were wrongfully labeled as fraud committers by the CAF department of the Tax Authority. Their childcare allowance was halted, and they were ordered to pay the money back. This led to parents ending up in serious financial problems. Some lost their jobs, their homes, and relationships fell apart.

In November last year, the committee already concluded that 300 parents were definitely victimized by the Tax Authority in this way and a compensation scheme was arranged for them. On Thursday the committee said that another 1,800 parents were "likely" affected by this affair in a same or similar way. Their files should be closely examined to determine whether they should be compensated.

Committee leader Donner emphasized that there are also parents who ended up in financial difficulties due to the "normal operation of this law". But according to the committee, it is not feasible to "reverse and redo fifteen years of application of the childcare scheme" for this group. But people who have been "disproportionately treated" should somehow be accommodated, Donner said.

The National Ombudsman previously said that the Tax Authority put hundreds of families in an impossible situation. And the Children's Ombudsman accused the Tax Authority of ignoring children's rights in this affair.