As the dust settles on the forming of a Dutch coalition government, all four leading political parties have united in agreeing to increase business taxes applied to the Netherlands’ gambling sector.
Concluding a period of political uncertainty in the region, The Party for Freedom (PVV) announced that it had agreed on a ‘basis of terms’ to form a coalition government with conservative counterparts of the Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the New Social Contract party (NSC) and the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB).
As a result of this, the budget was formalised carrying the title of “Hope, Courage and Pride”, the budget laid-out the quartet government’s fiscal plans related to taxation, expenditures, public investment and subsidies.
This included a ‘structural taxation increase’ seeing gambling tax grow from 30.5 per cent to 37.8 per cent”. As noted in the appendix: “The gambling tax will be increased by €202m on a structural basis. This means a rate increase from 30.5 per cent to 37.8 per cent”
According to Dutch gambling news source, Casinonieuws.nl, a tax increase was on the “wishlist of parties”. In October prior to the General Election, VVD ministers submitted motions to increase Dutch gambling taxes by 1 per cent from from 29.5 per cent to 30.5 per cent, corresponding to total rise of circa €26m.
“The good news is that we have a negotiators’ agreement, but of course, this is only definitive when the parliamentary parties have also agreed,” stated Wilders, who it was revealed will not serve as the country’s leader.
