Companies which face difficulty paying their tax bills because of financial problems caused by coronavirus can again apply for a deferment, junior finance minister Hans Vijlbrief said on Wednesday.

Initially, applications for a delay closed on October 1, but this is being extended to January 1, 2021 because of the impact of the new lockdown measures on many companies, Vijlbrief said.

‘Some companies have been able to survive by using their reserves, but cannot keep doing this,’ Vijlbrief said in a briefing to MPs. ‘We want to allow them to call on the option of deferring their tax bill payments.’

Companies which ask for a delay will have up to three years to pay the taxes which they still owe.