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De BeerINTERNATIONALknowledge partnerof private companiesTax ratesThe general VAT tax rate is 19%. The Netherlands also has a low VAT rate of 6%. Goods and services falling under thelow tax rate are specified in Table 1 of the Turnover Tax Act (Wet op de omzetbelasting 1968). This applies, amongother things, to foodstuffs and medicines. The zero rate is mainly intended for goods exported to outside the EU andfor goods exported to other EU members states.All companies are bound to submit VAT declarations. If the company also supplies goods or services to elsewhere inthe European Union, it is also bound to fill in the Opgaaf Intracommunautaire Prestaties (Intracommunity Supplies)tax form.Excise and other DutiesExcise dutyThe Netherlands charges excise duties on alcohol-containing beverages, tobacco, fuel and other mineral oils. Manufacturers,traders and importers pay excise duties to the tax authorities. The Excise Duty Act (Wet op de accijns) in theNetherlands is fully harmonized with the applicable EU directives.Environmental taxesThe Netherlands charges the following environmental taxes:• Groundwater tax• Tax on mains water• Waste tax (Afvalstoffenbelasting)• Fuel tax• Energy tax• Packaging taxGroundwater taxThe taxes are paid by companies that extract groundwater. The amount of tax due is based on the amount of cubicmetres of groundwater that is extracted by the company. The rate is € 0.1963 per m3.Tax on mains waterThe Netherlands charges tax on mains water. All companies and households pay tax on a maximum amount of 300cubic metres of water per connection per annum. The rate is € 0.158 per m3.Waste tax (Afvalstoffenbelasting)Waste tax is charged on all dumped waste. The rate is € 107.49 per 1,000 kg of dumped waste. The rate for non-burnablewaste and waste that should not be incinerated is subject to a rate of € 16.79 per 1,000 kg.Fuel taxFuel tax is paid by the producers and importers of coal. The rate is € 13.50 per 1,000 kg coal.Energy taxThe purpose of energy tax is to reduce CO2 emissions and to reduce energy consumption. The energy tax is chargedto the user of the energy (natural gas, electricity and certain mineral oils). The rates are related to the amounts used,whereby the rates are progressively reduced as consumption increases.26 Doing business in The Netherlands
De BeerINTERNATIONALknowledge partnerof private companiesPackaging taxWith effect from 1 January 2008 the Netherlands has introduced a new tax: the packaging tax. The principal paysthe tax. The tax is also payable by people who for the first time market a packaged product or an (empty) packagingtogether with a product. Even if you as importer have the packaging of imported goods removed or disposed of byanother business, you must pay packaging tax on this packaging. This also applies if you have not given any order forthis or if the business returns the products to you (packaged or unpackaged). For each taxpayer there is a tax thresholdof 50,000 kg. The packaging tax is only paid on the amount of packagings that exceed the threshold. Businesses whomake available or market less than 50,000 kg of packagings are not affected by the packaging tax and also do nothave to notify the Dutch Tax Authorities.7. PersonnelFinding and retaining personnel is an essential condition for the existence and growth of an organization. Companiesstand out through the personnel they employ. Dutch tax legislation allows numerous options for rewarding personnelin fiscally friendly ways.The Dutch legislation includes various provisions to secure the rights and obligations of both employer and employeein the Dutch employment market. As a general rule, the employer and employee should behave according to thestandard of good employership or employeeship respectively. The employer has a number of specific legal obligationswith respect to work and rest times, leave and working conditions.Wage taxWage withholding tax is an advance tax payment on income tax. Anyone deriving an income from employment inthe Netherlands is liable to pay income tax on the income. In addition, employees in the Netherlands are generallycovered by social security. The employer withholds the social security premium and wage tax due from the wages as asingle amount and subsequently pays this to the tax authorities. The combined amount is referred to as wage tax. Thewage tax is subsequently settled against the amount of income tax due.Wage tax is calculated on the full value of the remunerations received by the employee based on the employmentcontract. The remuneration may take the form of cash, such as a salary, holiday allowances, overtime, commissionsand payments for a thirteenth month Employees can however also receive remuneration ‘in kind’, such as productsfrom the company or holiday trips. The concept of remuneration also includes various other claims, compensationsand provisions.A claim is a right to receive a benefit or provision after a period of time or subject to certain predetermined conditions.One example of the latter is the right to receive retirement benefits. Examples of provisions include tools, meals,public transport tickets, etc. ‘Compensation’ normally refers to amounts that the employer pays its employees to covercosts incurred by the employee in the fulfilment of his or her job.27 Doing business in The Netherlands
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