Tired of hearing about rising gas, beer, and grocery prices? Well, we have some good news. These Dutch policies will hopefully give your financial well-being a bit of a boost.
Starting from July onwards, several Dutch policies will come into place and potentially relieve your wallet from its increased spendings:
1. Minimum wage will slightly increase
For those who are 21 years of age and older and work 36 hours a week, your compensation will increase from €11.06 to €11.26 an hour starting next week.
While this is only a small increase of 20 cents, the minimum wage will increase faster within upcoming years and is expected to go up to €13.18 in 2025.
2. Energy taxes are going down
As a result of the sharp increase in energy prices, the VAT rate on electricity, gas, and district heating will decrease from 21% to 9% until the end of 2022.
For a household with average energy consumption, this VAT rate decrease will amount to approximately €140 saved in six months, according to NU.nl.
While this doesn’t count for fuel prices, the excise duty on petrol and diesel was lowered earlier this year.
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3. Child benefits will increase
As of July 1, child benefits will increase by about €20 per child per quarter. Great news for parents in the Netherlands!
The decision to increase child benefits (kinderbijslag) wasn’t supposed to happen so soon but eventually did as a result of this year’s high inflation rates.
Note: The increase in child benefits will only occur after the end of the third quarter (October 1, 2022).
4. Entrepreneurs will be paid faster
Those who are self-employed or own small companies will be paid much earlier when carrying out jobs for large companies.
The payment term will go from sixty to thirty days, guaranteeing entrepreneurs a shorter window to earn their payments.
5. All libraries are free for those under 18
From July 1 onwards, all libraries will officially be free for those under the age of 18 in the Netherlands.
Now, kids who want a quiet place to read or study can do it at any library completely for free. Parents also won’t need to worry about paying any potential costs.
Happy reading, children! 📖
To get a better look at the new laws in the Netherlands, you can check out this overview of the changes in Dutch rules and regulations throughout the second quarter of 2022.
Will any of these Dutch policies help your wallet out? Tell us in the comments below!