On Thursday, the government announced that adjustments will be made for the third time in the so-called Temporary emergency bridging measure for job retention (NOW). This is to respond to criticism from society and the opposition in the House of Representatives.
The first change is that it now becomes easier for companies that are part of a larger company, or that have been taken over, to use the NOW scheme. This new provision especially makes it easier for companies that have found themselves in this situation since 2019. The reference month for start-up companies has also changed. A company can now also start using the scheme until February 1, 2020 at the latest. In this way, the government is trying to accommodate starting and acquired companies.
In addition, the scheme will also be adjusted in such a way that the wage bill from March to May can be used when determining the subsidy. This will also help companies that have only experienced a loss of turnover since the beginning of March. The so-called thirteenth month/extra period salary can now also be removed from the calculation of the wage bill.
In addition to the extension of the application period, it will also be opened for a longer period: until June 5. This applies to the first tranche of the NOW scheme. The House of Representatives will continue to debate the emergency package in the coming days.
For all information about the new emergency package, see above our corona file.
Nederlands