News item | 19-09-2023 | 3:30 PM
1 in 3 residents in the Caribbean Netherlands live in poverty. That is why this government will allocate €30 million in 2024 to improve the purchasing power of the residents of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius. From 2025, this amount will be increased to €32 million annually. The money will go, among other things, to increasing benefits in the Caribbean Netherlands in 2024, the exact increase of which is still being determined. With this, the government is taking important steps to achieve a social minimum on Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius. Child benefit will also increase, by $90 per child, per month. This is in line with the ambition to halve child poverty by 2025. The government will also maintain the energy allowance of $1,300 per year. The subsidy for the fixed costs of electricity and the fixed rate for drinking water and the connection costs for internet will also be further reduced. In addition, extra money goes every year to better public transport and lower transport costs.
State Secretary Van Huffelen: “For many people on Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius, a roof over your head, food on the table or extra necessities for children are not self-evident. This government wants to do something about that. That is why I am pleased that together with colleague Carola Schouten we have managed to set aside a significant amount, not only for this year, but also for the coming years, to improve the lives of residents on the three islands. To start with, by further increasing benefits, but also by continuing to contribute to basic services such as water and electricity. We are not there yet, but it is an important next step to tackle poverty on the islands. I am therefore very much looking forward to the findings of the Social Minimum Committee. In the knowledge that the government, employers, public bodies and residents desperately need each other to create an equal level of facilities and reduce the cost of living.