Finance
Service Toeslagen: Penalty Payments Are a 'Revenue Model' for Lawyers and Parents
The Service Toeslagen argues that penalty payments for parents waiting for compensation decisions have become a revenue model for lawyers and families, urging the Council of State to overrule lower courts. While the Council previously suspended these penalties until new deadlines are set by politicians, regional courts in Utrecht, Arnhem, and Amsterdam recently ruled that existing laws mandate payment for missed deadlines. The service claims it cannot meet statutory timeframes due to excessive caseloads and staff shortages, contending that penalties do not resolve these operational issues. Meanwhile, other agencies like UWV support abolishing such penalties, but political consensus remains lacking for applying this change to toeslag parents.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's