Cabinet effectively scraps security levy in 2027 tax plan
The minority cabinet has adopted an amended Belastingplan 2027 with €347m a year in tax relief, but it still lacks a secure majority before the Tweede Kamer votes on 12 November.
After an extra council of ministers meeting, the cabinet formally adopted its amended tax plan for 2027. It sets aside €347m a year in tax relief to support purchasing power, which the cabinet says "effectively scrapped" the planned vrijheidsbijdrage, a levy meant to cover part of the higher defence costs. The Tweede Kamer debate starts on Wednesday.
Why it matters
- The security levy for higher defence costs is effectively cancelled for next year.
- The measure to limit the deduction for specific healthcare costs is withdrawn, at the request of the ChristenUnie and 50Plus.
- The plan needs opposition votes: D66, VVD and CDA govern as a minority.
Prime minister Rob Jetten said the plan now has "some very good elements for both left and right". He said the cabinet mainly held intensive talks with the ChristenUnie and 50Plus. Finance minister Heinen said there is "really no reason to be against the tax plan".
CDA leader Bontenbal called it very disappointing that no deal with the opposition was reached. "My job now is to find majorities," he said. ChristenUnie and 50Plus cannot give the cabinet a majority together, but with the Groep Markuszower there would be one. Its leader said it would be "childish" to vote against it now.
Pro and Volt will not support the plan as it stands. Pro leader Klaver called the lack of a secure majority "an irresponsible risk". In the debate the two parties will try to ensure that less goes to "the very richest".
JA21, BBB and the SGP will not back it either. They want talks on asylum, nitrogen, abortion and surrogacy, topics the coalition has so far kept out of the tax plan. JA21 leader Eerdmans said: "I think a deal is certainly possible." ChristenUnie leader Mirjam Bikker, whose party won the withdrawal of the healthcare-cost deduction cap, said: "It's good news that chronically ill people, ordinary people and working people in the Netherlands will pay less of the bill."
What happens next
- Wednesday: Tweede Kamer debate on the tax plan
- 12 November: Tweede Kamer vote
More on cabinet and parliament · taxes and benefits
Guide: Dutch income tax brackets and rates 2026
Tweede Kamer
The House of Representatives, the lower and more powerful house of the Dutch parliament. Its 150 members are elected directly; it can amend bills and holds the cabinet to account.
vrijheidsbijdrage
In English, the vrijheidsbijdrage is a "freedom contribution": a proposed levy meant to help cover part of the higher costs of the Netherlands' defence spending. It is one of the measures in the government's tax and budget plans, so its final form depends on decisions taken in the cabinet and in parliament. It matters because it is a way the state proposes to pay for defence without relying only on general spending.
ChristenUnie
The ChristenUnie is a Dutch political party based on Christian principles, with seats in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament. Its MPs vote on laws and the national budget, so its position matters when the cabinet needs parliamentary support for its plans. It is one of the parties a Dutch cabinet often negotiates with on tax and budget proposals.