In any case, the tax that the municipality of Groningen will levy on advertising in public spaces from January 1 must be scrapped. The Groningen branch of the JOVD, the youth organization affiliated with the VVD, advocates this. The young liberals call the tax a ‘total patronization’ of entrepreneurs by the municipal council.
“In times of unaffordable raw material prices, energy prices and personnel costs, the council thinks it can go the extra mile,” says Koen Balkema, chairman of the Groningen JOVD. “Groningen must support and cherish its entrepreneurs in these difficult times.”
The municipal council announced earlier this month that the tax should be introduced because advertising has a dominant appearance and is a burden on public space. The advertising tax should therefore contribute to reducing the amount of advertising in the municipality. “Cool of the highest order,” says Balkema: “If the municipality sincerely wants to combat ‘clutter’ in public spaces, why don’t they do this in collaboration with entrepreneurs.”