On 9 December, the government announced modifications to this third set of measures, to aid struggling businesses more effectively. On 18 December, further announcements were made to help businesses cope with the lockdown. The main changes:
- The percentage of turnover loss compensation under the TVL (Reimbursement for Fixed Costs SME) scheme will be increased to 50 – 70 % in the last quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. The percentage that applies to you depends on your turnover loss.
- There will be a separate TVL module for the events sector.
- Retail businesses that qualify for TVL in the 4th quarter of 2020 and have had to close due to the lockdown will receive a one-time supplement on top of the TVL payment, called the Stock support for Closed Retail.
- Self-employed professionals who have taken out a Tozo loan will have until 1 July 2021 to start repaying.
- In the first quarter of 2021, the conditions to apply for the wages compensation scheme NOW will remain unchanged to the last quarter of 2020.
This article gives a quick overview of the measures in place. You can read more about each measure by clicking the links. These will take you to Business.gov.nl, the Dutch government website for entrepreneurs, of which KVK is a partner. If you are looking for information about rules for businesses, international business, or permits and visa, you can also visit Business.gov.nl.
Financial compensation
- NOW: wage cost compensation
- Tozo: income support and loans
- TVL: fixed costs reimbursement
- TONK: necessary costs support
Employment and education
The corona crisis affects the labour market. In some sectors, jobs are disappearing. It is not yet certain if this will be a long-lasting or even permanent effect. In other sectors, employment opportunities remain largely the same, or are growing. The government is launching extensive programmes to retain and create employment. It is still working out the details of these programmes, together with trade organisations, employers’ organisations, municipalities and the Employment Insurance Agency UWV.
To support job seekers, the government is investing €1.4 Billion in a set of social programmes, that consists of 4 building blocks:
1. Intensive support and guidance towards new work (€683 Million)
The government supports job seekers where necessary. The aim is to help as many people as possible make a direct transition for one job to another, without having to claim unemployment benefits.
2. Education and training to retain work (€199 Million)
The programme NL Leert door helps employees, self-employed professionals, flex workers and others to develop themselves to find fitting employment.
3. Combating youth unemployment (€346 Million)
The government will work out a regional approach towards combating youth unemployment, as young people at the start of their careers are particularly vulnerable to problems finding employment.
4. Combating poverty and debt (€146 Million)
The corona crisis will cause an increase in the number of people who live in poverty or chronic debt. The government will support municipalities who help citizens in need. There will also be an extra help fund for persons with chronic debts.
Financing and credit
- KKC: Bridging loans for small companies
- BMKB-C: SME credit guarantee scheme
- GO-C: business loan guarantee scheme
- Microcredit: extension of repayment or corona bridging credit
- Growth Facility Scheme (GF) not phased out before 1 July 2021
- Corona bridging loan (COL) for startups
- SEED Capital venture funds for startups: 6 new funds make it possible for innovative startups to acquire venture capital via the SEED Capital scheme.
- Re-insurance of short-term credit insurance: the government guarantees credit insurances until June 2021, so that businesses can continue to place orders on credit with their suppliers.
- Government and Invest-NL investment funds for startups and scale-ups: Dutch government and Invest-NL are working out 3 investment funds for startups and scale-ups: the Dutch Future Fund, Deeptech, and alternative financing for growth businesses. Details have yet to be announced.
Tax measures
- Dutch Tax Administration: payment extensions, rent reduced
- Temporary discount for investments (BIK): subject to approval by the houses of parliament and the EU parliament, there will be a job-related discount for businesses that invest in business assets (such as machines) from December 2020 to 2022.
- Customs: lenient with penalties, payment extensions possible
Sector-specific measures
- BL-C: financing for agriculture and horticulture
- Compensation for legal aid: Legal aid lawyers, mediators and curators who experience more than 20% turnover loss will receive additional compensation
- Fireworks suppliers: the government is allotting €40 Million to the support of fireworks suppliers
- Support for local and regional media
- The government will provide extra support for the cultural sector, amateur sports clubs, and public transport
- Credit voucher facility: the government is working on a credit voucher fund, to reimburse travel organisations that have given out vouchers to customers.
Other
- Kickstart voucher: 2500 euro for external advice international business
- Corona measures in cross-border regions
- International business and EU measures
Watch out: if you receive an offer from a company to take care of your application for a fee, be aware that this is not an offer from a government source. You can apply for all the available measures yourself at the Employee Insurance Agency UWV, municipalities and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency RVO. The applications are always free of charge.