‘Higher court costs will discourage people from taking action’

Government plans to increase the cost of going to court will lead to considerably fewer people taking legal action, according to research by Synovate for the Dutch law society.


Some 34% of 1,000 people polled said the cost of taking legal action would be too high. And while 94% thought everyone should have access to the legal system, 39% think there is class justice in the Netherlands.
Justice minister Ivo Opstelten plans to increase the cost of going to court as part of measures to cut spending on the legal system by €240m.
According to figures released in April, the minimum tariff for a civil case will rise from €71 to €125 while the minimum fee for a case involving private individuals and the government will go up from between €41 and €152 to €500.
Individuals will only get the fee back if they win their case.

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