Dutch poverty rate increases

The number of Dutch households with a lower income has increased to above 600,000 -- the highest poverty level in six years, the Central Bureau for Statistics and the Netherlands Institute for Social Research concluded in a report presented Thursday. In 2011, 8.7 percent of the all households had to make ends meet with a wage that was below the minimum income of 960 euros (1,255 U.S. dollars) per month for single households and 1,810 euros for a double household with two children. According to the report, poverty will increase to 9.4 percent in 2013. The plans and budget cuts of the new government have not been taken into account in the calculations. People on benefits and the self-employed will be hit first when the government cuts take effect, the organisations said.