None of the main parties’ policies will eradicate the budget deficit, but the right-wing VVD will deliver the best results, according to calculations by the government’s macro-economic policy unit CPB.

The organisation has calculated the likely effect of 10 parties’ economic policies on the Dutch economy over the next four years – a traditional part of the election campaign.
The research shows the VVD will cut the deficit to 1.4% by 2017. This involves spending cuts of €16bn.
By contrast, the deficit will rise above 3% next year under Labour, PVV, Socialist and GroenLinks policies, the CPB said. According to eurozone rules, the deficit should be below that figure in 2013.
In terms of household finances, CDA policies will cut spending power by 3.25% by 2017, while under the SP it will grow 3% on average.
Europe
The anti-immigration PVV does best in terms of economic growth but the CPB calculations do not take the effect of leaving the EU, as the PVV wants, into account.
The calculations take as a starting point the spring budget agreement put together by five parties earlier this year. However, various elements of that accord are unlikely to ever come into effect.
Waste of time
Economist Kees de Kort told BNR radio on Monday the CPB calculations are ‘a waste of paper and computer time’.
‘If one party would win a majority of the 150 seats, then you would know what you are voting for,’ he said. ‘But the biggest party will win 35 seats at the most, so you will end up with a coalition and no party will have its own way.’
In addition, he said, the CPB is still too optimistic about the economy. The organisation ‘does not take sufficient account of the effects of the housing market, the jobs market and pension problems.’
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