GroenLinks-PvdA push housing, cheap public transport in election program
GroenLinks-PvdA wants to tackle the housing market with significant changes, including cutting mortgage interest deductions and building homes on vacant airports and run-down industrial estates. Frans Timmermans’ party also wants to cut down on car traffic with a plan for unlimited public transport use for €59 per month, according to the 169-page election program, NOS and RTL Nieuws report.
The party’s program falls back on many left-wing ideals, including a fairer distribution of wealth and making the government responsible for more things. The bill for the party’s plans will mainly fall on companies that emit large amounts of harmful substances, millionaires, and major investors.
GroenLinks-PVdA wants to change the income limits for social housing so that many more people, including those with mid-level incomes, are eligible. The left-wing party says it wants to return to public housing with housing associations operating like they used to - without profits and with greater national regulation. The party also wants to limit rent increases and oblige landlords to insulate their rentals.
The party wants the government to play a more active role in housing construction by purchasing land that becomes available through the end of intensive livestock farming. Homes can also be built on vacant airports and derelict industrial estates.
GroenLinks-PvdA also wants to scrap the mortgage interest deduction because it drives up home prices. Party leader Timmermans told Nieuwsuur that he wants to phase out this deduction within 8 to 12 years. “That means house prices will fall. All the experts involved will confirm this.”
The left-wing party wants a fairer distribution of wealth. The party wants to hike the minimum wage from €14.40 to €18 per hour and higher wages for all workers through collective agreements with the unions. Taxes on labor must be reduced, and taxes on capital income must rise. The party also wants to implement a millionaire’s tax. “The richer you are, the lower your tax burden. We’re reversing this. If you earn more, you can also contribute relatively more to services that are important to all of us.”
Timmermans’ party also has plans for a more income-dependent health insurance. “We are going to finance healthcare differently. This means that the wealthiest Dutch people will pay more, the middle class less. People will pay lower premiums, and we will finance a larger portion collectively,” the election program states.
Notably, GroenLinks-PvdA set a limit on migration for the first time. According to the party, the Netherlands should take in between 40,000 and 60,000 migrants per year. That includes asylum seekers, migrant workers, knowledge migrants, and international students.
Other notable plans in the GroenLinks-PvdA election program include recognizing the Palestinian State, banning the discharge of agricultural pesticides containing PFAS, no government funding for new nuclear plants, and using money reserved for four new nuclear plants to make homes and businesses more sustainable.
