Tom Waes' Dutch Public‑Broadcaster Deal Pays More Than Prime Minister’s Salary

The Dutch public broadcaster NPO has been criticised for routing roughly €250,000 a year to Belgian presenter Tom Waes through the Flemish production house De Mensen. The amount exceeds the annual salary of Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, which is €205,991. The arrangement – described by media analyst Tina Nijkamp as “bizarre” – also includes additional earnings from the Flemish public broadcaster VRT, bringing Waes’s total television income to about €1 million per year. NPO’s contract with De Mensen is set to run until the end of 2026, despite ongoing budget cuts at the Dutch public broadcaster. Critics have called for parliamentary questions about whether the deal falls under the Dutch top‑income regulation framework.