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Due to rising costs, many self-employed individuals no longer have financial room for pensions, insurance, or sustainability, causing a third of entrepreneurs to regularly worry about the financial health of their business. #kleineondernemers #financiëlegezondheid #stijgendekosten (translated)

Maurits Vande Reyde wrote that the public broadcaster had, in his view, provided misleading coverage in recent weeks regarding alleged severe cuts at VRT. According to him, unions had been given uninterrupted radio and airtime, while VRT NWS had not provided objective context and had widely disseminated their message. He described this as a situation at the level of a banana republic. Vande Reyde stated that the funding for VRT had increased in recent years, with millions more for, among other things, combating fake news and pension costs, and that only limited cuts had been made. Furthermore, he argued that the broadcaster could have generated more revenue from digital advertising. During the previous budget discussions, new concessions had been made regarding this, allowing VRT to show millions more in digital advertising, he wrote. According to him, parliament had not been informed about those agreements. He claimed that VRT had negotiated directly at the government table and secured a lot, only to then loudly protest and strike. According to him, the news editorial team had adopted the alarming stories from the unions. Vande Reyde wrote that trust in the media had thereby reached a historic low. #VRT #fakenews #mediawijsheid (translated)

The author wrote that Flemings constituted 60% of the population, paid 70% of the taxes, and accounted for 80% of the exports. According to the author, these figures raised the question of why the affordability of pensions and social security was constantly under discussion. The author also wrote that Flanders finally had to take charge of that itself. https://t.co/xAxz5CZF6l #Vlaanderen #Belastingen #Pensioenen #BE (translated)

Pepijn van Houwelingen wrote that the government and the House of Representatives, in his opinion, made commitments to the EU in the Recovery and Resilience Plan regarding, among other things, pension reform and a mandatory disability insurance for self-employed individuals. He described those commitments as shocking and stated that they undermined democracy. https://t.co/Z3JQyUHl1x #Nederland #pensioen #democratie (translated)

The pension expectations for young employees at ABP can vary widely, with estimates being four times their current salary at best and half at worst, now that most pension funds have switched to a new system in which participants build their own pension pot and have to consider fluctuations in investment results. #pensioen #pensioenstelsel #financieelbeheer (translated)

Maurits Vande Reyde wrote that 300 civil servants at the Opera of Flanders had exceptionally favorable salary conditions and high pensions, which were transferred to their partner upon their death. He stated that, nonetheless, Vooruit pointed to entrepreneurs as the problem in the country. https://t.co/ce4wuZkno6 #ambtenaren #loonsverhoging #pensioen (translated)

Mona Keijzer wrote that Ursula von der Leyen wanted to limit the Dutch veto right and shift more powers to Brussels. As a result, a Dutch 'no' would no longer count, even on issues such as social security and pensions, Keijzer stated. She said she supports European cooperation, but not a European superstate, and announced that she would submit parliamentary questions. https://t.co/aSGT2Emwye #EU #Nederland #Democratie (translated)

Jolande wrote that coalition parties, according to her, wanted elderly people who needed domestic help to live independently at home to pay for that help themselves. Single AOW recipients with a small pension could thus be paying up to 184 euros extra per month. She argued that cuts in elderly care kept people at home and that they now also had to pay for domestic help themselves. She sharply criticized Jetten, Bontenbal, and the VVD. https://t.co/mN9Fl6gj5W #Ouderenzorg #HuishoudelijkeHulp #AOW (translated)

LVSV Gent wrote that experts believed that Flanders could finance its social security and pensions itself. Due to the low employment rate in Wallonia and Brussels, the organization claimed that the Flemish would have to bear the costs for that. LVSV Gent advocated for keeping Flemish money in Flemish hands. https://t.co/FSXOgSL4VH #Vlaanderen #SocialeZekerheid #Pensioenen #BE (translated)

The author criticized Frank Vandenbroucke and wrote that the minister had strongly defended the pension penalty during his inaugural lecture at UGent. Later, according to the author, Vandenbroucke said that people with a minimum pension were fully protected. The author wondered whether the minister was aware of the consequences of his policy. #pensioen #beleid #FrankVandenbroucke #BE (translated)

Hester Bais wrote that in March 2023 she had gifted her book *Worst Bank Scenario* to current and former members of the House of Representatives, all members of the Senate, and a large part of the cabinet. In the book, she described her experiences as a lawyer and whistleblower regarding what she called the largest banking and pension fraud ever. She stated that she had not received any substantive response. Bais claimed that she was one of the few specialists in the Netherlands with legal and operational knowledge of central securities clearing, derivatives clearing, and collateral management. She said she had worked for years at ING, the Authority for the Financial Markets, Euronext, LCH, Euroclear, and Hogan Lovells. According to her, that experience had enabled her to expose extensive fraud involving collateral. She wrote that the Netherlands needed her expertise in a European financial sector where investment banks, according to her, called the shots and used taxpayer money and pension assets for their own liquidity purposes. According to Bais, the Authority for the Financial Markets ignored her whistleblower reports. She also said that she had become persona non grata in her field. She mentioned Sander Dekker from the VVD as the chairman of the supervisory board and wrote that he looked away, just like his predecessors Paul Rosenmöller and Martin van Rijn. #klokkenluider #advocaat #RedDeRechtstaat #klokkenluider #advocaat #fraude (translated)

Hester Bais wrote that Guy Verhofstadt became a commissioner at APG in 2008 together with Paul Rosenmöller. According to her, APG, together with PGGM, set up a collateral structure from 2009, using EUR 200 billion in pension funds to rescue banks. Bais stated that ABN, Rabobank, and ING together had a collateral shortfall of EUR 200 billion. #pensioengeld #banken #financiën (translated)

Geert Noels regretted that De Tijd had again reported unilaterally on management companies during a crucial moment in the budget discussions. According to him, a management company was not a legal form, the number of them was unclear, and estimates were often exaggerated. He also wrote that people working through a company had less protection and accrued rights, such as no unemployment benefits or dismissal protection and a lower pension. Noels asserted that measures had already been taken to make this working method less attractive, including a higher minimum wage and an increase to 18% for VVPRbis and the liquidation reserve. According to him, some professions and responsibilities often made a company necessary. He further wrote that the tax burden was among the three highest in the EU, as were government expenditures, which he claimed amounted to 54% of GDP. The mentioned rate of 35% for management companies, according to Noels, applied as a marginal burden on profits above the minimum wage; with that wage included, the average burden according to him was rather around 37–39%. For employees, he stated that a tax burden of more than 50% applied for most only as a marginal rate. https://t.co/zDUhGzIC0w #BegripBegroting #Managementvennootschappen #Belastingen (translated)