DutchNews.nl - New protest website from anti-immigration party

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New protest website from anti-immigration party

Friday 03 August 2012

Geert Wilders' anti-immigration party PVV has launched a website where people can protest against European Union civil servants and politicians who earn too much.

Visitors to stopdeeuropesezakkenvullers.nl (stop the European profiteers) can click on a button to show they agree with the website's standpoint.

The PVV says recent research by a Belgian tv programme showed that a newly-appointed civil servant earns €4,676 per month and a European commissioner €27,000.

The party plans to hand the results to prime minister Mark Rutte and European council president Herman van Rompuy at the EU top in October.

The website is only available in Dutch.

Do you agree EU workers earn too much? Have your say on the comment form below.

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Readers' comments (15)

Talk about framing a question for a desired result, that makes it a lesson in futility. Catchy name for a website though. Do they earn too much? It's all relative. The issue needs to move away from how much people earn to how much they pay (in taxes).

By Dr Ponzi | August 3, 2012 8:57 AM

And this comes from the guy who is too much of a coward to open up his own finances to the voters.The guy has no shame.

By jason buttle | August 3, 2012 9:03 AM

PVV has some good points. The package they deliver them is not the best, but still - they do not fear not to be "politically correct" and point out what is not right with present situation.

By kar | August 3, 2012 9:14 AM

Perhaps EU workers earn too much, however, that this website is made and launched by a party that is not transparent aboutt its own funds is rather ludicrous.

By the_expat | August 3, 2012 11:25 AM

OMG if this keeps going they will be payed as much as the president of the USA. They are close to his pay rate right now. 27,000 a month wtf and they are cutting from everything right now. It seems to be from the people that need it the most. What about the fat cats like these? $4,676 for a new civil servent omg what does one with experience cost?

By Destiny | August 3, 2012 12:36 PM

With sources as unreliable as "the pvv" and "a Belgian tv programme", I wish the media would just look up the numbers themselves (this is more a critique of Dutch media, not Dutchnews.nl so much). The €4,676 number is indeed a starting grade, but that is only for people entering in the top track. That is not what the average person working in the building makes. Wikipedia gives these numbers, "The lowest grades receive between €1.618,83 brutto each month, while the highest grades receives between €14,822.86 and €16,094.79 a month."

By Robert | August 3, 2012 1:25 PM

If you choose to visit that website, DON'T CLICK on the green button. Your click will be counted as an agreement.

By pepe | August 3, 2012 4:34 PM

I happen to be a former "newly appointed civil servant" myself (in the NL) and I can assure you that my salary was nowhere near the salary mentioned by the "Belgian TV Programme". Not even half of it.

By Martin | August 3, 2012 4:37 PM

Hi,
Do you agree EU workers earn too much? Have your say on the comment form below. This must be qualified. First of all the salary is tax free secondly exspence account earnings are in addition all in a non transparent way cancelled. In answer to your question: There is room for concern.

By Terence Hale | August 3, 2012 5:14 PM

So the 4676 is for a newly appointed... lawyer? acountant? Someone who might have been earning this already in their own country, but now either has to maintain two houses in two countries, or move his/her family to a new country and rent a house, international school? etc.

When you are an expat who has moved here to good-old-52%-tax-land, you realise this figure isn't unrealistic at all: it's pretty much equivalent to the salary required to qualify for a Knowledge Migrant visa in the Netherlands.

PS editor, can posts be edited to remove the acronym OMG in future? It detracts from the bad grammar usage...

By osita | August 3, 2012 5:24 PM

Compared to the economical benefits created and proposed by this party, all expenses to pay for their position in the parliament is a waste of money. Added to that also the security measures for this half indonesian guy with bleached hairs.

By René Caderius van Veen | August 3, 2012 6:38 PM

As ever, statistics can be manipulated to say anything you want.

By Donaugh | August 4, 2012 3:29 PM

and where's the website to complain that my taxes are paying for Wilders?

I don't get to vote so have no option to express my opinion at the polls.

By Louise | August 4, 2012 9:56 PM

Why don't they launch a website in protest against those shareholders would demand too much ?

By Philippe | August 6, 2012 1:36 PM

I hope PVV starts to do some work instead of complaining all the time. You will always have these kind of differences in any society. Approach should be roll up your sleves and start doing some real work instead of pointing problemns in different directions.

By Kumar | August 7, 2012 6:58 AM