May 3, 2024

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Dutch committee challenges scathing report into advantage system

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch parliamentary commission issued a damning report Thursday into a scandal in which hundreds of mother and father were being wrongly labeled fraudsters by government officials examining claims for child benefit payments.

The report titled “Unprecedented Injustice” was issued following an investigation by a parliamentary committee and public questioning of officials up to and such as Prime Minister Mark Rutte into the scandal that currently induced a governing administration minister to quit previous yr.

“The Committee set up that in the implementation of the little one treatment allowance basic ideas of the rule of regulation have been violated,” the report said. A fraud investigation could be brought on by a little something as basic as “an administrative mistake without having malicious intent,” it extra.

In excess of several decades, hundreds of mothers and fathers had their youngster treatment benefit payments stopped or have been requested to repay funds amid fraud investigations. In some scenarios, parents ended up plunged deep into personal debt right after being wrongly accused of falsely saying benefits.


Committee chairman Chris van Dam referred to as the procedure “a mass process in which there was no area for nuance.”

It was the most recent condemnation of efforts to root out fraud by parents professing reward. An before report located that the Dutch tax business unlawfully discriminated versus citizens by focusing on them for investigation primarily based on the point that they held double nationality.

The government previously has in the past apologized for the tax office’s methods and in March earmarked 500 million euros to compensate much more than 20,000 mothers and fathers.

In May well, the authorities also requested public prosecutors to look into doable discrimination among 2013 and 2017. Prosecutors have not yet announced the consequence of their probe.

Thursday’s report is anticipated to be debated by lawmakers upcoming 12 months, with calls for the debate to be held before a basic election scheduled for March 17.