KRALENDIJK/THE HAGUE – The Ministry of Economic Affairs in The Hague is still studying ways to mitigate a sharp increase in the annual contribution that companies would owe to the respective Chambers of Commerce from 2022 onwards.

The ministry says this in response to a question from ABC Online Media. “We are taking the objections very serious and are working on a solution that we hope to release as soon as possible,” according to the RCN Communication Department.

Although involved parties seem to be working on a solution to the issue, no details have been made known as of yet. 

Hike

The largest group of companies on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba unexpectedly faced a tripling of the current rate from about $80 for most companies to at least $240 a year and in some cases even more.

Although the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry themselves were of the opinion that they had sufficiently publicized the intended increase, the magnitude of the new tariffs hardly penetrated the islands and caused a big shock once entrepreneurs understood just how much fees would go up.

The increases fares led to strong protests. An online petition against the tariffs was signed by nearly 900 entrepreneurs in a matter of days; a very high number by local standards. The Saba Business Association (SBA) also got involved in the discussion and rejected the proposed rate change.