The tax break which couples can claim if one partner does not work should be scrapped and replaced by a legal entitlement to flexible working hours, a government commission recommended on Tuesday.

The part time work commission was set up two years ago to look at ways to stimulate more women to work.
Seven out of 10 Dutch women have some sort of paid employment, but half of them work fewer than 25 hours a week.
‘There is a lot of talk about working mothers, but not about working fathers,’ said commission chairwoman Pia Dijkstra at the report’s presentation, according to Trouw. ‘That is until Labour leader Wouter Bos and transport minister Camiel Eurlings said they wanted more time for their families. Then it was front page news.’
Flexibility
The report says that government, unions, employers and families must focus on developing a more flexible society. If the Netherlands wants to maintain its current standard of living, more people will have to work, and that means getting more women to work longer.
For example, men should take over more household tasks and women should make an end to the ‘playground mafia’ which tells working mothers that they are failing their children, the report says.
In particular, the commission called for an end to the tax break on non-working partners – known as the aanrechtsubsidie, or kitchen sink subsidy. This is currently being phased out over 15 years, but the process should be carried out in five, the commission said.
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