Inflation in the Caribbean Netherlands rising
In Q2 2021, consumer goods and services on Bonaire were 0.2 percent more expensive than one year previously. The inflation rate was still -3.2 percent in the previous quarter. On St Eustatius, prices decreased by 1.2 percent year-on-year, after they had fallen by 4.1 percent in the first quarter. On Saba, the inflation rate rose from -1.3 percent to 1.0 percent in Q2 2021. This is reported by CBS on the basis of the consumer price index for the Caribbean Netherlands.
All three islands saw an increase in inflation compared to Q1 2021. What plays a role here is that the effect of the allowances [1] for electricity, drinking water and internet was less pronounced in comparison with the same quarter last year. The government has provided these allowances since May last year. This means that the measures affected prices in both the second quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2021. As of January 2021, an additional subsidy on internet subscriptions is provided to the amount of 20 US dollars per household on St Eustatius and 10 US dollars per household on Saba.
[1] News article regarding the allowances for electricity, drinking water and internet: https://english.rijksdienstcn.com/latest/news/2020/may/5/reduction-in-costs-for-households-and-companies-caribbean-netherlands