Left college Amsterdam will not drive electrically due to crisis | Inland

This is evident from the budget presented on Thursday by Alderman Victor Everhardt (Finance). According to the D66 driver, the impact of the corona crisis on Amsterdam is ‘gigantic’ because the city is largely dependent on income from visitors. Since the outbreak of corona, they have largely ignored the capital. The city expected to receive about 197 million tourist taxes, but that is only about 50 million. In the coming years, the estimated tourist tax revenues have also been adjusted downwards by tens of millions.

At the same time, the money is thrown out for projects such as renovating collapsing bridges and quays, an ailing Waste and Energy Company and higher costs for youth care. On the other hand, the city misses out on many millions of profit distributions from, for example, Schiphol and the Rai (of which the city is a shareholder) and considerably less parking income is received.

Homeowner the bobbin

This year, according to Everhardt, the blow can still be reasonably absorbed with a substantial contribution from the government and money from the reserve fund of the municipality. The council hopes that this reserve pool will have to be supplemented in the coming years with millions that the council expects in leasehold income (about 80 percent of the owner-occupied homes in Amsterdam are on municipal land). However, warns the D66 councilor, “it is uncertain whether these leasehold benefits will be realized at the estimated level.”

It has been decided to place an extra high bill with Amsterdammers. Home and property owners in Amsterdam in particular will receive a higher bill next year. After all, over the next four years, GL, D66, PvdA and SP want to raise a total of 144 million euros in extra property tax. That means an enormous increase of twenty percent in 2021. On top of that, there will be an additional increase in the waste tax. In 2018, the commission already increased these rates by 17.8 percent. A new increase of 18 percent will be implemented in 2021, according to Everhardt. He also does not rule out new increases in the coming years. In addition, the rates for a second parking permit will increase and paid parking will be expanded in other parts of the city.

No electric Audis

The college itself will also cut its own ‘comfort’. In addition to a cut in the civil service, the college will not be driving new very expensive electric cars for the time being. “The Commission has now opted not to switch to electric Audi E-trons, because the Commission does not consider it desirable to enter into a lease contract for a period of four years. For the time being, the Commission will continue with the current hybrid BMWs. The desired number and type of cars will be reviewed ”, the budget states.

A spokesman for responsible alderman Rutger Groot Wassink (GL) adds that this means that driving is not yet entirely electric. “In addition, the requirements we set for a fleet have also changed. For example, corona can no longer drive together to a location. Corona also makes it important to take a critical look at the number of hours that the cars are actually on the road. ”

Taxes deferred

Entrepreneurs who have been hit hard by the crisis are being met by the council by suspending the advertising tax and the precario for terraces. However, the budget states that the advertising tax will be introduced in 2021. The city hoped to raise 9.9 million with that, but according to a spokesman for councilor Everhardt, that plan has been scrapped. Discussions with the joint business community have given an ‘interpretation of the tax relief’ for entrepreneurs, which means that this levy is postponed for a year.

As a result of the policy pursued, the municipality of Amsterdam is once again dropping in solvency, a measure used by the regulator (in this case the province of Noord-Holland) at municipalities. While solvency was 58% in 2018, it will fall below the critical limit of 50% next year. This places Amsterdam in a different risk profile. But according to Everhardt, that is not a problem for the time being and Amsterdam remains at the ‘top’ of the new borders.

Natural gas free

Despite the financial troubles, the municipality mainly focuses on ‘investments’. Money that was in the climate fund of GL councilor Van Doorninck is now being withdrawn from that fund and used for ‘job engines’. “These are packages of measures that contribute to employment and at the same time to the sustainability of the city. For example, through investments in the renovation and insulation of buildings, the accelerated natural gas freeing of homes and in solar panels on the roofs of housing corporations. The six job engines are expected to generate approximately 3,800 extra jobs by 2025, ”says the municipality.

Money is also being made available to compensate for the shortages in youth care and care as well as possible and the Municipal Executive is investing in sports infrastructure. For example, preparations are being made for the realization of sports halls in Zuidoost (Nieuwe Kern) and the Jaap Eden Ice Complex, for the renovation of the De Mirandabad, and money is being earmarked for the replacement of the Sporthallen Zuid. In addition, the college invests in places for young people in the most vulnerable parts of the city, such as Southeast.

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