Matthew Runs Amok: The Belgian Service Voucher Scheme

In response to structurally poor job prospects for the least skilled, a number of European countries have introduced measures to boost domestic services employment. No country has done so with more fervor than Belgium. Belgian consumers can use the so-called "Service Vouchers" to pay for a limited but high volume range of domestic services like cleaning, washing and ironing. It is probably the most heavily subsidized scheme of its kind in Europe – more than 70 per cent of the cost of services rendered to individual consumers is borne by the state. Not surprisingly, the scheme has proved tremen... Mehr ...