Employers can start giving their employees a daily, tax-free €2 allowance when working from home starting January 1 — but some say this is a little too frugal, even for the Dutch.
This was the amount calculated by Nibud (National Institute for Budget Information) back in 2020, reports RTL Nieuws. Now, the question is whether it’s up to scratch for life in 2022.
Sparse funds
Piet Fortuin from CNV Vakmensen (Dutch labour union) is inclined to say nee. With an increase in utility costs and gas prices, €2 just isn’t going to cut it. 💰
These work from home allowances need to cover costs like delicious instant coffee, electricity for your appliances, and heating.
But if you’re working from home, you also need a proper workspace with a good chair and table, food and drink during the day, and toilet paper (yes, the government did account for this).
With all these costs in mind, this daily allowance simply doesn’t cut it. 😓
A different time and place
The main issue with this current allowance is that it was calculated more than a year and a half ago — and as we all know, a lot has changed since then.
Member of Parliament Bart van Kent believes the Nibud should calculate a new daily allowance to estimate how much working from home costs in today’s world.
For example, Tomas Bleker, an energy specialist from Pricewise, says that gas and electricity costs in the Netherlands were at an “all-time low” in July 2020 while they are now currently at their peak. 😶
And it’s not just utilities that are becoming more expensive, grocery prices are also increasing — and the government compensation isn’t enough to make up for all of this.
Will you be receiving a work from home allowance? What do you think of it? Tell us your thoughts in the comments👇
Featured Image: Ivan Samkov/Pexels
Something’s better than nothing. We are told to work from home, but offered no incentive, compensation or even a thank you. So €2 would be at least an acknowledgement that there are costs involved in work from home.
With all due respect. Companies are struggling (financially) and in the Netherlands it’s the government that are asking people to work from home, not most businesses. Even when people are told they can come back to work (like last summer) many didn’t, or didn’t very frequently, at their own choice.
we were getting 5.55 – now this dumb rule comes in and we get 2…