The new coalition agreement:what will change in the field of purchasing power, paternity leave, child arrangements and education?
After seven months of negotiations, it is finally here:the new coalition agreement. Some time ago I wrote a blog about the elections 2017 in which I examined some topics. Now that there is finally a coalition agreement, I am curious what the four political parties VVD, D'66, CDA and CU have ultimately made of it. You've probably heard a lot about the new plans in the past few days. Here's an overview of the themes that are important to us -working parents-.
Table of Contents
One of the first things you will probably ask yourself is what your financial picture will look like. This is not so easy to say, as the four political parties have worked hard on new tax plans. In general, the new cabinet indicates that everyone who has a job will benefit. Middle incomes in particular should benefit from this.
However, it remains to be seen how this will look in practice. There will be two tax brackets, income tax will go down, but VAT will go up from 6 to 9%. That means paying more for your daily groceries, for example. If you own a house, this also has consequences, because the mortgage interest deduction will be phased out more quickly from 2020. So what you ultimately have left at the end of the line is really a matter of waiting.
Paternity leave was a hot item during the elections. Many parties, including D'66 and the CDA, were in favor of expanding this. They have also successfully managed to get this into the new response agreement. It is a nice result after months of negotiations. What exactly does this mean for expectant fathers? In 2019, the paternity leave will be extended from two to five days, paid in full. As of 1 July 2020, fathers will also receive an additional five weeks against a payment of 70 percent of the wage. This may be taken up to six months after the birth of the child. A nice point from the response agreement. I think this is a very nice prospect for many parents-to-be. Many parents who will have a baby for the first time in 2020 will be very grateful to this cabinet if they can spend more time at home with their partner and baby during the first period.
During the elections, there was a lot of talk about families with children. Ultimately, there are also many concrete plans in the new coalition agreement on child-related arrangements. For example, the child benefit and the child budget will increase. It now looks like this will be especially profitable for families with young children. Specifically, parents with children who go to childcare will notice this as the childcare allowance will also increase.
Tip:is your child going to childcare or a childminder for the first time? Then apply for childcare allowance well in advance
The teachers' strike on October 5 has helped, because the primary school teachers receive an extra salary. Joyce also wrote a nice blog about that teacher strike that went viral 😉 . Money is also earmarked to alleviate the workload for teachers, for example by forming smaller classes. Is your child going to secondary school? The cabinet has also included something about this in the new coalition agreement.
For example, there should be extended bridge classes, making it easier for a student to make the right choice. The student loan system will continue to exist. There will be a discount on tuition fees for first-year students. For students who are going to do the Pabo or a teacher training course, this applies for two years.
I wonder whether this is a reason for students to opt for these programmes, but the new cabinet thinks so.
