Archive of posts from Saba-News.com Archive Saba News
Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk is positive that consumer confidence in the Dutch public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba will grow next year as a result of the tax-relief measures. The Minister stated this in a letter he sent to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Monday, in which he provided information on the results of the recently published Perception Study Caribbean Netherlands 2012.
The Perception Study was carried out before delegations of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba reached an agreement with Dutch State Secretary of Finance Frans Weekers in October 2012 to take a number of measures that would bring financial relief to the islands, in both the fiscal and social areas. The study, for which more than 650 island residents were interviewed, showed that 67 per cent of the local population believed their purchasing power had decreased since their island had become a public entity of The Netherlands per October 10, 2010. In 2011, this percentage stood at a higher 81 per cent. “The most important point of concern of the people is and remains the purchasing power development since October 10, 2010. People are concerned about this issue and there is less confidence in improvement,” stated Plasterk in his letter. But, he added, “I anticipate that the measures will contribute to a growth in consumer confidence next year.” However, the results of the Perception Study Caribbean Netherlands 2012 do show that things have gotten “substantially” better in 2012, stated the Minister. There is “clear improvement” in the perception of the Dutch Government’s functioning where it pertains to the Caribbean Netherlands. People are generally more satisfied with the level of services that the Dutch Government provides in the areas of health care, education, the Tax Department and police. People also feel safer.
Plasterk explained that the researchers of the Perception Study Caribbean Netherlands 2012 had paid much attention to making sure that it was representative by guaranteeing that the correct cross-section of the population was chosen where it pertains to age, education and background of the interviewed persons. It is the intention to carry out a Perception Study Caribbean Netherlands every year, at least until the general evaluation in 2015. The first study was in October 2011.
Source: “The Daily Herald” 2012-11-20
