Most political parties want to cancel the plan to reduce the health discount to 165 euros
Most major political parties in the Netherlands oppose the first Schoof government plan (Schoof I) to reduce the annual deductible in the healthcare system from 385 euros to 165 euros. According to an analysis by the Dutch Central Planning Bureau (CPB), almost all parties – except GroenLinks-PvdA – want to cancel this proposed reduction.
The office reviewed the electoral programs of the parties GroenLinks-PvdA, VVD, NSC, D66, BBB, CDA, SGP, ChristenUnie, Volt, and JA21. Among these parties, VVD, CDA, JA21, and Volt proposed raising the deductible to 440 euros per year. These parties also want to increase contributions to long-term care and stop including new treatments in the basic health insurance package, a measure expected to save 7.7 billion euros.
The government led by the PVV party announced a plan to reduce the deductible, effective from January 2027. However, the Dutch Council of State warned that this move could increase pressure on the healthcare system and raise health insurance premiums by about 200 euros annually. Polls also showed that two-thirds of the population oppose the plan.
While most parties seek to reduce healthcare costs, the GroenLinks-PvdA party stands out as an exception, proposing to increase spending instead of cutting it. Its program includes increases in defense spending until 2030, while reducing cuts in other areas compared to other parties. This has raised questions about how all parties will finance the additional 6 billion euros required by 2030 to cover the Netherlands' increasing contribution to NATO.
To finance this increase, the parties are considering several options, such as raising the value-added tax (VAT), increasing the government retirement age, imposing higher taxes on wealth and profits, and reducing the development cooperation budget. The CDA party proposes a slight increase in VAT, while the SGP party wants to abolish the lower rate designated for the hospitality sector, and the Volt party proposes a uniform rate of 19 percent.
Parties VVD, SGP, JA21, and Volt support raising the government retirement age to reduce pension expenses, but the proposed timeframes vary from party to party. Regarding wealth taxes, the parties GroenLinks-PvdA, D66, ChristenUnie, and Volt seek to shift the tax burden from wages to assets, while parties JA21, VVD, and BBB reject this approach and prefer to cut the foreign aid budget instead.
Political parties also differ on the plan to abolish the mortgage interest deduction. GroenLinks-PvdA and D66 want to phase it out over 12 years, ChristenUnie over 15 years, CDA over 30 years, while the Volt party takes the boldest stance, calling for its termination during the next government term, which is in just four years.