Extended Dutch support package also for Caribbean Netherlands

The extended economic support package that the Dutch government presented on Wednesday for the Neth­erlands also counts for entrepreneurs affected by the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.

“The point of departure remains that for the Carib­bean Netherlands, a simi­lar approach is selected as for the Netherlands, tak­ing the local situation into consideration. The decision to postpone decreasing the generic regulations for the Netherlands is entirely applied to the Caribbean Netherlands,” it was stated in a letter to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Par­liament on Wednesday.

The conversion to the Ca­ribbean Netherlands of the extra input for the Qredits financing will be further worked out. As for the fi­nancial support for Dutch municipalities, a similar ap­proach will be applied for the Caribbean public entities.

The subsidy percentage in the temporary subsidy regulation on wage costs and loss of revenue in the Caribbean Netherlands will remain the same as in the NOW regulation in the Netherlands, which is 80 per cent. The Dutch gov­ernment will make an ad­ditional one million euros available for this.

Additional means will also be allocated for the Carib­bean Netherlands in the form of additional island-specific policy to cover necessary costs. The three public entities will keep re­ceiving one million euros in the first quarter of 2021 for additional island-specific policy. An assessment will be made for the second and following quarters of next year.

A potential group for sup­port from these additional means are the dismissed employees who will lose their subsidy per January 1, 2021. The decision-taking as to the execution of this regulation will be left up to the public entities.

The subsidy regulation on compensation of fixed costs to assist entrepreneurs in paying their monthly fixed costs remains in effect. In the fourth quarter of 2020, the subsidy percentage was increased from 50 per cent to 75 per cent. This has to do with the fact that the is­lands are more dependent on tourism and that busi­nesses have limited possi­bilities to generate alterna­tive income.

The letter was signed by Ministers Eric Wiebes of Economic Affairs and Cli­mate Policy, Wopke Hoek­stra of Finance, Wouter Koolmees of Social Affairs and Labour, and by State Secretaries Mona Keijzer of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Hans Vi­jlbrief of Finance, Fiscal Affairs and the Tax Depart­ment, and Bas van ‘t Wout of Social Affairs and La­bour.

The Daily Herald.