Dutch caretaker government unveils budget plan to spend 2 billion per year extra to fight poverty

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The caretaker Dutch government says it will spend an extra 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) per year to tackle poverty. The budget announcement Tuesday comes as the gap between rich and poor is shaping up as a major campaign theme ahead of a November general election. The announcement came on Prince’s Day, when the monarch reads a speech outlining government plans for the coming year and the finance minister unveils the annual budget. The policy plans were restrained because the governing coalition is in caretaker mode after quitting in July over the four parties’ failure to agree on a package of measures to rein in migration.