The king doesn’t have to pay income tax, new Dutch prime minister says

Just when everyone thought things would change 🫣

Remember last January, when the Dutch cabinet seemed really set on making the Royal Family pay income tax? Well, it’s all in the past: Prime Minister Schoof has announced that he has no plans to do such a thing. 

Schoof declared his unwillingness to set the plan into motion during a session of parliamentary questions about the King’s budget, reports the RTL.

It seemed like a done deal

Schoof’s statement came as a surprise: in January, the House of Representatives had passed a motion to amend the constitution to scrap the Royal Family’s exemption from income tax.

The motion wasn’t enough to make it into law yet, as a majority vote of two-thirds of the parliament is needed to change the constitution — however, for the first time in years, this looked achievable.

The motion, proposed by D66’s politician Joost Sneller, had garnered the support of the PVV, NSC, and BBB, which at the time were poised to enter the new government coalition.

Why is the plan scrapped, then?

Schoof has cited two reasons why he “sees no reason to put a proposal into procedure.”

First, he thinks it is unnecessary “from the perspective of stability of the finances of the Royal House” — what about their subjects’ financial stability?

READ NEXT | Do the royals pay taxes in the Netherlands?

Secondly, he is unsure about whether the proposal would have the necessary majority support in parliament.

To be fair, things have changed quite a bit since January in that department: two out of the four parties in the current coalition, the VVD and BBB, have expressed doubts about the proposal.

The deal, then, is far from done — the King can let out a sigh of royal relief. 😮‍💨

What do you think of Schoof’s statement? You can express your peasant thoughts in the comments below — for free!

Feature Image:Dreamstime
Beatrice Scali 🇮🇹
Beatrice Scali 🇮🇹
Five years after spreading her wings away from her beloved Genova, Bia has just landed at DutchReview as an editorial intern. She has lived in China, Slovenia, Taiwan, and — natuurlijk — the Netherlands, where she just completed her bachelor’s in International Studies. When she’s not reciting unsolicited facts about the countries she’s lived in, she is writing them down. Her biggest dreams include lobbying the Dutch government into forcing oliebollen stands to operate year-round, and becoming a journalist. In this order.

1 COMMENT

  1. Apart from being the King and a jolly nice one too – why should the royals be exempt from paying income taxes? UK has the same exclusions for a very uber wealthy family who do a bit of charity work but basically live their lives tax free. They get to keep their wealth while others even pensioners pay tax on their income.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related posts

Latest posts

Dutch King warns freedom is not guaranteed: “Netherlands needs to arm itself to the teeth”

During a visit to a military base in Limburg, the King of the Netherlands expressed his concerns about the current state of international politics....

The 10 best hikes in and near Utrecht to bask in Dutch nature

We love Utrecht for its quaint streets, cute cafe nooks, and bustling atmosphere — but sometimes, you really need to escape the city.  Luckily, there...

What will the weather be like this King’s Day?

Yes, it’s official — the weather has cleared its schedule. King’s Day is getting the royal treatment: it will be dry, sunny, and comfortably...

It's happening