The Labour Party (PvdA) believes that members of the royal family should be treated the same as other Dutch citizens. Labour MP Jeroen Recourt says the royals should pay rent for the palaces they live in, be charged inheritance tax and have to foot the bill for private air travel.
Mr Recourt says he does not begrudge Queen Beatrix the special provisions necessary for fulfilling her duties, but argues that anything not related to her work should be paid out of her own pocket. “Why should the state pay? I think it'd be better for the underprivileged to get these perks.”
He also agrees with the largest party in the governing coalition, the conservative VVD, that the royal family should make a contribution to the government budget cuts that are currently hitting Dutch society as a whole.
He says there should be more clarity about the royal family’s assets and what criteria are used to determine what constitutes their private property. At present, members of the royal family only pay tax on their private assets. Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Máxima are paid tax-free sums consisting of a salary and a reimbursement for staff and other expenses.
(gsh/tf/mw)
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