Small and medium-sized companies will also receive support to compensate for the high energy prices, it was unexpectedly announced today. It is not yet known how big that support will be. “We are happy with this, but we can only know how happy we are if we know what it means”, says Ton Schroor, director of VNO-NCW MKB Noord, who hopes for a substantial contribution from the government.
According to him, entrepreneurs will also have a hard time in the coming period. High wage demands and an increase in profit tax, while corona has only just ended. “You also have to take that into account when you look at the compensatory measures that may be taken against it,” says Schroor, who is afraid that Dutch entrepreneurs will no longer be competitive in Europe.
In the Speech from the Throne, the housing shortage in the Netherlands was also discussed again. The government wants to build 900,000 homes by 2030. Together with Groningen, Friesland, Overijssel and Flevoland, Drenthe has already made an offer, namely the Delta Plan of the North. That means building 220,000 homes, but then the provinces want the Lelylijn to be built. But nothing concrete was mentioned about this in the Budget Memorandum.
The performance agreements for residential construction are expected to be signed in the autumn. Drenthe does expect a return, especially on the track. Between Zwolle and Meppel the capacity of the track must be increased. And the Lower Saxony line, which is to connect the northeast of the Netherlands, is still on the wish list of the province. But the government does not mention this in the budget statement.