Unfair conditions for Belgian business owners in the Netherlands, says MEP
While Dutch business owners in Belgium are getting the same corona-related financial support as Belgians are, the same cannot be said across the border, according to Kris Peeters
‘Unacceptable’
The €37 billion in funding is being shared among EU member states for health-related equipment, support to SMEs and short-term employment schemes. Belgium has, for instance, extended the due date of business taxes, and the regional governments are offering subsidies to all businesses forced to shut because of coronavirus measures.
The governments have waived the requirement that owners of SMEs live in Belgium in order to receive subsidies due to the corona crisis. This means that a Dutch person, for example, who lives in the Netherlands but owns a company in Belgium that has been forced to close can receive the subsidy.
Business owners in the border regions must not be allowed to fall through the cracks
The Netherlands has not waived that same requirement for Belgian business owners. So unless they live in the Netherlands, they cannot get the available subsidies from the Dutch government.
“The Netherlands cannot discriminate in its corona measures,” said Peeters (pictured above), who was previously Belgium’s labour minister. “Dutch owners of businesses in Belgium are entitled to benefits offered here. It seems logical to me that if you pay taxes to a country, that you get something back in emergency situations.”
In addition, the Dutch subsidies and other measures to support SMEs are being handled at the municipal level, and some cities on the border are demanding that business owners have Dutch citizenship in order to receive aid. “This is unacceptable,” said Peeters. “I have informed the European Commission and the Dutch governments about this discrepancy, and I expect a quick response in taking care of it. Business owners in the border regions must not be allowed to fall through the cracks.”
Photo: Yorick Jansens/BELGA
