As chairman of the Brainport foundation, John Jorritsma went to The Hague on Tuesday to argue for retaining the tax benefit that expats have in the Netherlands.
The government is considering reducing the 30%-arrangement from eight to five years. Now, employers can pay out thirty percent of the expats’ salary tax-free for eight years. Because employees from abroad often incur extra costs to live and work in the Netherlands. That is at least the philosophy behind it.
Pamphlet
Some 35 organizations have offered a pamphlet to Menno Snel, the State Secretary for Finance. Brainport Eindhoven, employers’ union VNO-NCW and MKB Nederland (small and medium-sized business sector), among others, believe that the government is acting unreliable by changing the arrangement.
‘This affects hundreds of companies and institutions and about 60,000 foreign employees,’ say the initiators of the pamphlet. By tinkering with the 30%-arrangement, it would also become less attractive for expats to come and work here. While, according to Jorritsma, about 7,000 vacancies are to be filled this year in the high-tech sector.
Source: Studio040