"Our temporary support will help companies that have been particularly hard hit, especially medium-sized companies, thus getting them fit again to drive the economy forward," said Federal Economics Affairs Minister Peter Altmaier, who was presenting the salient points of the new federal programme in Berlin along with Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz.
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On Friday, the Cabinet agreed on the cornerstones of a federal programme entitled "Temporary support for small and medium businesses that have had to shut down to a significant extent or in full as a result of the coronavirus crisis". Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions:
Small and medium businesses and organisations from every sector of the economy, provided they are not eligible from support from the Economic Stabilisation Fund, one-person self-employed outfits, full-time freelancers in liberal professions, non-profit businesses and organisations that are permanently active on the market.
Business operations must have had to shut down completely or to a significant extent as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The temporary support will reimburse:
Application is a two-stage online procedure, that must be handled by your accountant/auditor. The individual federal states are responsible for implementing the system,.
The support available under the new programme is significantly higher than the emergency assistance. Non-profit companies and organisations that are permanently active on the market are also eligible to apply. From June to August, depending on the loss of turnover, up to 150,000 euros operational fixed costs can be reimbursed. The other side of the coin is that the requirements for applications and disbursement are more stringent. An accountant or auditor must confirm the loss of turnover and the operational fixed costs.
The maximum volume available for temporary support is 25 billion euros.
Associated companies, or companies that are directly or indirectly under the influence of the same person or the same company can apply for a maximum sum of 150,000 euros for three months in assistance.
This does not apply to public-benefit bodies offering overnight accommodation such as youth hostels, Schullandheime (hostels offering accommodation specifically for school classes on school field trips), international youth exchange bodes, and facilities for people with disabilities.