CPI Caribbean Netherlands excluding COVID-19 allowances
During the Corona epidemic, the burden on households in the Caribbean Netherlands has been eased by surcharges on electricity, water and internet. Thanks to the surcharges, households do not pay a standing charge for water and electricity and a discount is given on the connection costs for the internet. These surcharges affect the CPI in the Caribbean Netherlands.
The surcharge conditions are:
- The surcharges on electricity, water and internet that came into effect on 1 May 2020.
- The surcharges for internet on St. Eustatius and Saba that came into effect on 1 January 2021.
The results show what the effects of the surcharges have been on the CPI from the second quarter of 2020 up to and including the second quarter of 2021. This was done by recalculating the CPI excluding the surcharges.
The table shows the index figures per island and per spending category (2017=100). The indices of the spending categories 04 (Housing, water and energy) and 08 (Communication) have been changed by the allowances. The total indices were subsequently changed.
The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations has requested that the effect of these allowances be calculated on the CPI.