Outgoing cabinet to slash spending on integration courses

Wednesday 15 September 2010

The caretaker cabinet is planning to slash spending on compulsory integration courses as part of its plans to raise €3.2bn, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday, quoting political sources.

The paper says the budget for citizenship courses and language tests for newcomers will be cut by 'several hundred million euros' by 2014. Integration courses currently cost some €500m a year, according to Nos tv.

The plan will be officially made known at the presentation of the government's 2011 spending plans on September 21.

Other planned savings include a €700m reduction in reserves for new policy, €600m on civil service salaries and cuts in childcare subsidies. The cabinet also plans to raise €200m from increasing taxes on tobacco.

Because the cabinet is only acting in a caretaker capacity and 'balancing the books', there will be no new policy presented on budget day. MPs have already agreed not to hold the traditional two-day debate with the prime minister, saying it would be a waste of time.

Tests

If all goes according to plan, the new right-wing government will be in place in early October.

Most new immigrants to the Netherlands, apart from those from EU and some other countries, have had to undergo a compulsory citizenship test since 2006.

The right wing parties currently in talks on forming a new government also plan to cut spending on integration courses by transfering the cost to immigrant themselves.

© DutchNews.nl

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