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Victim support for victims childcare allowance | NOS

Victims of the childcare allowance affair will be offered victim assistance from today. A large number of people have not only financial but also psychological problems, after they were wrongly labeled as fraudulent by the tax authorities. According to Victim Support, they may have become just as traumatized as people who have been involved in a crime or accident.

“If you are wrongly accused of fraud, receive injunctions worth tens of thousands of euros, lose your house and it takes years to settle, then it will leave its mark”, says Rosa Jansen of Victim Support Netherlands. “Victims have to deal with long-term stress, tensions in the family, are ashamed of their environment and have lost confidence.”

Victim Support Netherlands has been asked by State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen to provide assistance to the affected group for those who need it. Victims can report themselves or they are registered by the tax authorities.

Despair

The employees of Victim Support primarily offer emotional support. “It is important for victims of this affair to find a hearing and receive recognition,” Jansen explains. “That starts with paying attention to the emotions that have arisen, such as anger and despair.” Victims also receive help with resuming their lives and information about procedures via Victim Support.

Nevertheless, according to Jansen, compensation and resolving the debts will only really ensure recovery and processing for the parents. “We can do that in part, but most of it will have to be supplied by the tax authorities. We will have to work very closely with them. That they solve the financial and legal part and we solve the emotional part.”

Thousands of families are victim of the childcare allowance affair. They had to repay the allowance they had received. A few hundred people got into serious trouble as a result.

Hearing

Since last week, a parliamentary committee has been investigating how things could go wrong. Various officials have already been questioned whether they knew that the Tax and Customs Administration was wrongly harassing the parents and why they did not prevent or solve this.

This week (former) ministers will be heard. Interrogations of former State Secretaries Frans Weekers and Eric Wiebes (Finance) and former Minister of Social Affairs Lodewijk Asscher are scheduled for today.

The hearings will be broadcast live on NPO 1 from 9.30 am and can also be followed on NOS.nl and in the NOS app. Click here for the livestream.

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