Opposition parties have expressed their surprise at the short length of the list of measures the government is considering to alleviate the economic crisis and control public spending.

The list was leaked by the Volkskrant paper on Monday and includes linking the pension age to life expectancy, benefit cuts, an end to mortgage tax relief on homes valued at more than €1m and increases in student fees.
The right-wing Liberals (VVD) said they had expected a much longer ‘menu’ of measures to be considered, including cuts in overseas development aid, reports the Volkskrant.
Alexander Pechtold, leader of the Liberal Democrats D66, told the paper it is important not to think in terms of lists. ‘It looks as if the government is trying to save the 2010 and 2011 budget, but they should be thinking in terms of structural reform,’ he said.