Dutch taxation climate improved slightly, now ranked 27th

AMSTERDAM – The World Bank and the global accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) have ranked the Netherlands 27th on their annual Paying Taxes list of 183 countries. Although the Netherlands has risen six spots on the list, PWC does not think the country is doing well enough. Among the weak points of the Netherlands is its complex taxation reporting system, which burdens business with an excess of administration. The country should be among the top five, suggests PWC, just by decreasing unnecessary business reporting duties and leading to a more efficient national taxation agency. A mid size Dutch firm last year spent an average of 134 hours to comply with taxation rules, an improvement of 30 over the previous survey. PWC also questioned why the national government, the municipal authorities as well as the country’s water boards each collect their own taxes. It also suggested that the national sales tax system could be simplified with fewer exemptions. The payroll tax system and social insurance premiums also warranted streamlining according to the PWC report.