That's going to be fodder for chambers exegetes, though the question is whether it will make any difference. But Halbe Zijlstra says he did not say that the VAT measure "was not the most accomplished measure in the coalition agreement. Although that is what that interview with him in NRC Handelsblad of 8 July 2011. At the time, everyone thought that was a funny knee-jerk reaction to reason by the usually rather harsh and background-less change manager Zijlstra. After all: the youthful police specialist and VVD'er Bart de Liefde had said in the chamber that raising VAT on art from 6% to 19% was not conducive to entrepreneurship in the sector. So that Zijlstra came up with it: nice. Even though he was late of course: thing was already through the chamber. No one is reversing that.
Then you get the questions. The chamber questions. From Boris van der Ham (D66) and Mariko Peters (Green Left): 'What should we do with 'unsupported measures'?' And so then the answer is about word choice. And that we should read sentences differently that they are there. Van der Ham called the unsupported measure a 'policy decision'. Stupid, of course, because that is different from a measure. So it is not true. And Mariko Peters gets the reply that that 'not most accomplished' did not refer to the measure at all, but to the way the state secretary who had brought it across the footlights:
"In the interview, I made the analysis that raising the VAT rate did not help me find support for the cuts. Incidentally, my interview does not state that raising the VAT rate was a 'not mature' policy decision."
Finally: 'not accomplished' is different from 'not the most accomplished'. And measures are not policy decisions. Words, words, words, Hamlet would say. And that they wanted to start talking nicer about art should not be taken too hard, according to the Cabinet. It seems, we read in Zijlstra's letter, that the State Secretary and MinPres have been angry on a regular basis. And that they regret it.
"The government values debate based on substantive arguments and facts, with respect for everyone's position. Incidentally, this can go well with an exchange of views that is conducted on the cutting edge. But if the tone becomes heated and emotional, attention to the content may be underexposed. I regret that."
Thus the secretary of state: I was emotional and therefore lost sight of the content for a moment. Can happen to the best. With the emphasis on 'could'.
At least with this letter, things are not going to get better anytime soon between the incisive stas and his industry.
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