The hotels of Van der Valk believe that they have received too little corona support. In a case against the State, more than sixty hotels argued that they are all separate companies and that they should have received corona support on that basis as well.
They were seen by the government as a chain, rather than separate companies. As a result, they would have received tens of millions of euros less corona support. The state attorney stated on behalf of the State that the minister had the freedom to choose which companies would receive this so-called TVL support.
The case mainly revolves around the minister’s choice to initially only award the Fixed Costs Allowance, as the subsidy is fully called, to SMEs. As a result, competitors of Van der Valk who only had one hotel could apply for support from the summer of 2020.
But Van der Valk’s hotels, which they say are run independently, couldn’t do that. The company believes that the minister wrongly excluded Van der Valk.
Eventually, a TVL scheme was also introduced for larger companies, although from the beginning of 2021, as a group, they were at most entitled to the same amount as SMEs.
For example, all Van der Valk hotels together received just under 34 million euros in TVL support. If they had received support as SMEs, this could have been 120 million euros more. According to Van der Valk, this is contrary to the principles of equality and proportionality.
The Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal (CBb) will rule on 3 October.
2023-06-13 15:02:47
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