A day after the energy compensation for medium-sized and small companies had already been expanded, the cabinet drops another condition for the scheme, namely the consumption threshold. As a result, companies can also receive support that consume less gas or electricity than the thresholds devised by the cabinet, says Minister Micky Adriaansens (Economic Affairs).
It thus meets the wishes of CDA MP Henri Bontenbal and Chris Stoffer of the SGP. They point out that some small SMEs consume a lot in relation to their turnover, but because they are so small they cannot claim the allowance. Bontenbal also fears a ‘perverse incentive’, as a result of which entrepreneurs may turn on the stove for a while to reach the threshold.
Adriaansens was sensitive to criticism. She says that ‘a small intervention benefits a large group of entrepreneurs’. By removing the thresholds of 5000 cubic meters of gas or 50,000 kWh of electricity, according to the cabinet, 62,000 entrepreneurs will be eligible for the aid instead of 41,000. The costs for the package increase by 500 million to 1.7 billion euros.
On Wednesday, the cabinet already announced that entrepreneurs are eligible for support if energy costs amount to at least 7 percent of their turnover, instead of the previously proposed 12.5 percent. More companies can also receive support.
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