The persisting economic crisis is making the Dutch less and less willing to spend their money.

Data published by Statistics Netherlands, the Dutch statistics office, shows that spending on goods and services in March dropped 2.1 percent compared to the same month in 2011.

Since the summer of 2011, consumer spending has each month been consistently lower than a year earlier. The downturn in March was even greater than in preceding months. The figures were corrected for price fluctuations and changes in the number of hours that shops were open.

(gsh)

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