The House of Representatives instructs Minister Hanke Bruins Slot of the Interior to find 10 million euros for subsidizing local political parties. This is in addition to the amount of 27 million that the national parties are already receiving.
The long-standing discussion about subsidizing local parties seems to have finally come to an end. The Association of Local Political Groups already lobbied among the Balkenende cabinets for financing by the national government, but all this time got no response. In municipal elections, however, local parties have only continued to grow, making the call for equal treatment vis-à-vis national parties increasingly loud.
An important obstacle was always that the House of Representatives felt that subsidies should not be at the expense of existing subsidies. A calculation showed that the VVD and D66 would otherwise lose 1.5 million euros per year, the CDA almost 1 million. For the three left-wing parties, it was tons.
The House is now forcing Bruins Slot to find the budget of 10 million euros elsewhere. As a condition for subsidy, local parties must provide insight into their financing flows. To this end, the Ministry of the Interior must set up a good and simple accountability system.
The proposal by CDA MP Inge van Dijk that regulates the subsidy will be introduced on Wednesday during the discussion of the Political Parties Financing Act (WFPP). The local funding is to be included in a new Political Parties Act, to come into effect in 2024.
Gift ceiling becomes tons
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives will also discuss stricter rules for gifts to political parties. There will be a maximum of 100,000 euros per donor. VVD MP Ulysse Elian supports the proposal, resulting in a majority.
Behind the scenes there was a long tug-of-war about the gift ceiling. Because it affects political parties themselves, the tension is high. For example, the CDA received 1 million euros from investor Hans van der Wind in the last parliamentary elections. D66 and the Party for the Animals also had a sugar daddy: they received 1 million euros and 350,000 euros respectively from tech billionaire Steven Schuurman.
The proposal of SP MP Renske Leijten entails that a political party may receive a maximum of 100,000 euros per year in cash or in kind. Donations to ancillary institutions of a party are also included. If that comes together above a ton, the rest must be returned.
Watch all our videos about politics here:
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.
#Local #parties #finally #subsidy #minister #money