Recession-busting plan ‘next week’

Despite some optimism on Tuesday, it will be next week at the earliest before ministers finalise their plans to kick-start the economy, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Wednesday.


But MPs are increasing the pressure on the cabinet to come up with a plan soon, the paper says.
Yesterday prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende was called to parliament to clarify when he thought the package would be completed. ‘The entire country is waiting for this slowcoach cabinet,’ Femke Halsema, leader of the left-wing green party GroenLinks was reported as saying.
Easter
‘We will do our best to lay an egg before Easter,’ Balkenende said. The talks were proceeding carefully, he told MPs, but refused to give any concrete information about the options being discussed.
The Volkskrant says reform of the state pension scheme, cuts in mortgage tax relief and tax breaks on non-working partners are all still on the table.
The three ruling parties – Christian Democrats, Labour and orthodox ChristenUnie – have been talking for 10 days on how to boost the economy while not increasing the budget deficit.

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