The budget for 2014 has been published. Here are some of the most important aspects.
Security and Justice
Court fees will increase, by an average of two percent for lawsuits and 15 percent for costlier matters.
Health and care
The health insurance premium will decrease by €24 to €1226. It is up to health insurers if this saving will be passed to customers.
The health insurance excess will increase with inflation, from €350 to €360.
Plans to cut domestic help have been cancelled.
Plans to make health insurance costs income-dependant have been scrapped.
Alcohol and tobacco will be for sale to people over 18 only from 1 January 2014.
The tax on tobacco will be delayed until 2015.
Living
Parents can transfer €100 000 to their children tax-free to spend on purchasing a home.
Education
Schools will receive an extra €204 million in line with inflation.
Foreign Affairs
The budget must be decreased by 25 percent by 2018.
An emergency number for Dutch people abroad will now be 24/7.
Visa and passport applications will be digitalised.
Defence
2400 redundancies.
Three barracks closed: Johan Willem Friso in Assen, Van Ghen in Rotterdam and Joost Dourlein in Texel.
Infrastructure
149 kilometres asphalt.
Source: The Hague Online.
