Cabinet seeks support through three opposition routes
The coalition wants to find a majority for the tax plan and other budgets through different combinations of opposition parties.
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The cabinet has worked out three negotiating routes to find support for the tax plan and other budgets. Prime Minister Rob Jetten and Finance Minister Eelco Heinen are holding talks with different combinations of opposition parties for this purpose.
The coalition of D66, VVD and CDA does not yet have a permanent majority in the Lower House. The cabinet is therefore holding talks with ChristenUnie and 50Plus, with JA21, BBB and SGP, and with Pro and Volt. According to NOS, the talks must clarify which route to sufficient support is the most promising.
The tax plan determines, among other things, which taxes will apply in 2027. The current package also includes an extension of the lower excise duties on petrol and diesel until the end of 2027. In addition, the cabinet wants to reduce the start-up tax allowance for entrepreneurs. The plans must still be approved by both Houses.
The coalition is holding talks with opposition parties from different sides of the political spectrum. This makes an agreement with right-wing parties possible, while also keeping a route with progressive opposition open. Opposition parties may make their support conditional on amendments to the plans.
An important point of dispute is how the cabinet wants to fund changes to box 3. The Lower House supports the broad outlines of a new wealth tax, but there is still no majority for the financial cover. An earlier plan to make smaller savers and investors contribute more was withdrawn after criticism.
There is limited time to reach agreement. The Tax Administration needs preparation time to implement new rules, and the Lower House must consider the tax plan in November. Without a majority, measures such as the extended excise-duty reduction cannot go ahead either.
The talks are therefore not only a search for separate support for a tax bill, but also a test of the governability of the minority cabinet. For opposition parties, the situation offers scope to add their own proposals to the package; for the cabinet, this may mean that the plan changes further.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The cabinet does not have a permanent majority for the tax plan and is seeking support from opposition parties.
- Talks are planned with different combinations of parties.
- The plans include, among other things, tax measures concerning excise duties, start-ups and box 3.
- The final funding and parliamentary majority have not yet been established.
Left
Arguments A left-wing approach will mainly emphasise that tax measures must affect households on low and middle incomes fairly, and that additional burdens on savers must not come at the expense of social security. It will take a critical view of concessions that mainly help motorists or entrepreneurs without guarantees about distribution and public services.
Values Equality, protecting purchasing power and strong public services.
Consequences From this perspective, an agreement on the right could lead to a less balanced distribution of burdens and benefits; negotiations on the left could provide greater protection for vulnerable groups.
Centre
Arguments The institutional approach emphasises feasibility, stable public finances and an agreement that can pass both Houses. From this perspective, different opposition routes are not an ideological weakness but a practical way of reaching a workable majority.
Values Governability, predictability and budgetary discipline.
Consequences A compromise may water down measures, but it also prevents the entire tax plan from failing and implementation problems from arising at the Tax Administration.
Right
Arguments A right-wing approach will mainly press for lower burdens, less tax pressure on entrepreneurs and clarity on asylum and dispersal policy. Right-wing parties may use their support to push the cabinet towards sharper choices and lower spending.
Values Personal responsibility, lower taxes and national control.
Consequences Support from the right may force the cabinet to make cuts or impose stricter conditions, but it could also push social and progressive objectives out of the package.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article's central point can be found directly in recent reporting by NOS. The measures and political relationships mentioned have not been elaborated beyond what the sources allow.
- confirmed The coalition of D66, VVD and CDA is seeking support for the tax plan and other budgets. — Mentioned in recent reporting by NOS. source
- confirmed The cabinet is speaking with three different combinations of opposition parties. — NOS names ChristenUnie and 50Plus, JA21, BBB and SGP, and Pro and Volt. source
- confirmed The reduction in excise duties on petrol and diesel is included in the package until the end of 2027. — Mentioned in reporting on the tax plan. source
- confirmed The funding for box 3 does not yet have a majority. — NOS reports that the funding remains unclear and that an earlier plan was withdrawn. source
Editor's note
It is certain that the cabinet is exploring different opposition routes and that support for the tax plan has not yet been secured. The precise concessions and the eventual majority were still uncertain at the time of publication.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „belastingplan tweede kamer”
- De Telegraaf — „belastingplan tweede kamer”
- AD — „belastingplan tweede kamer”