How the Dutch government is trying to fill it's budgetary deficit in a creative way
It's was already clear for a while but since last weekend it's now all over global newspapers: the Dutch government has a big problem with budgetary discipline and sticking to the rule in the Maastricht treaty (made under Dutch presidency) to keep the deficit below 3%. Quite ironically, since last year they criticized all other European countries on this point.
Even though their government crashed , they must have found a creative way to find some money: Let's send the Belgians some faulty fines and charge administration costs!
Yep yep, you should have seen my face when I opened a letter from the leasing company yesterday evening. The letter claimed that I could clone myself and drive around at too high speed in Utrecht while I was also waiting for the carpenter to come with new windows a few 100 kms further. And this clone was amazingly driving around already at 7 AM, something the original version would not easily do.
Anyway...a fine for a traffic infringement I did not commit , which I could contest while remaining responsible for the administration costs. yeah right.
So this morning I phoned to the number mentioned on the document
"In which city do you want to be" was the confusing greeting I got on the phone. Euh I'd like to be in Sharm el Sheikh but that seemed rather irrelevant at the moment.
"excuse me I have received a fine and .."
"in which city"
"I belief there is a mistake and would....
"in which city"
"ah...a fine in Utrecht"
"on the highway or not"
"well, I don't know the place on there"
"highway or not"
"must be city center somewhere"
"ok, I'll connect you"
[yes thank you for your help, I hope someone makes you smile today to lighten you up]
....
I explained in Utrecht the reason for my call, received a new national phone number 'specifically for foreigners that call for fines' , got reconnected to Utrecht because surely this was a local police fine, got redirected to a different department who might consult the file and finally got the question "which file number?"
Half an hour later I got the confirmation that it was not my license plate on the picture and that I'd receive a correcting document in the mail. Spelling my address with my Flemish Dutch alphabet seemed to be a bit problematic but I am currently hoping to get mail from the Netherlands by the end of the next week.
But do remind me in 2 weeks that I might need to file an official complaint after all within the dealine...you never know when the Dutch are seeking new sources for money ;)
Even though their government crashed , they must have found a creative way to find some money: Let's send the Belgians some faulty fines and charge administration costs!
Yep yep, you should have seen my face when I opened a letter from the leasing company yesterday evening. The letter claimed that I could clone myself and drive around at too high speed in Utrecht while I was also waiting for the carpenter to come with new windows a few 100 kms further. And this clone was amazingly driving around already at 7 AM, something the original version would not easily do.
Anyway...a fine for a traffic infringement I did not commit , which I could contest while remaining responsible for the administration costs. yeah right.
So this morning I phoned to the number mentioned on the document
"In which city do you want to be" was the confusing greeting I got on the phone. Euh I'd like to be in Sharm el Sheikh but that seemed rather irrelevant at the moment.
"excuse me I have received a fine and .."
"in which city"
"I belief there is a mistake and would....
"in which city"
"ah...a fine in Utrecht"
"on the highway or not"
"well, I don't know the place on there"
"highway or not"
"must be city center somewhere"
"ok, I'll connect you"
[yes thank you for your help, I hope someone makes you smile today to lighten you up]
....
I explained in Utrecht the reason for my call, received a new national phone number 'specifically for foreigners that call for fines' , got reconnected to Utrecht because surely this was a local police fine, got redirected to a different department who might consult the file and finally got the question "which file number?"
Half an hour later I got the confirmation that it was not my license plate on the picture and that I'd receive a correcting document in the mail. Spelling my address with my Flemish Dutch alphabet seemed to be a bit problematic but I am currently hoping to get mail from the Netherlands by the end of the next week.
But do remind me in 2 weeks that I might need to file an official complaint after all within the dealine...you never know when the Dutch are seeking new sources for money ;)
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