If you’ve been enjoying the weather like us, you’re in for some great news. The spring-like weather will continue over the next few days!
In fact, at some points, it may even start to feel a bit like summer. ☀️
According to RTL Nieuws, Meteorologist Thomas Vermeulen from Buienradar has forecasted that temperatures in the southern provinces could reach as high as 20 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. 🌡
In the air tonight
Between now and Tuesday, warm air currents will come in from North Africa, making the average temperature 17 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. 👀
The warm air gives an especially nice glow during the sunrise and sunset, so it’ll be ready for the ‘gram. 😉
Cooler later in the week
Following this mid-week peak, temperatures will cool down slightly again to around 14 or 15 degrees Celsius on average.
Hang onto that sunscreen, however. Whilst temperatures will be more spring-like, it will still stay dry and sunny throughout the Netherlands. 😎
How are you spending the next couple of sunny days? Tell us in the comments below!
While many of us have stopped being surprised by whatever chaotic combination 2022 throws our way, one thing that we really didn’t expect to see on the agenda was Prince Harry speaking Dutch.
It’s a valid question with a simple answer. Prince Harry is a founding member of the Invictus Games foundation. The foundation hosts international games for hundreds of injured, wounded, or sick servicemen and women. 💪
Writing on their social media, Invictus Games explains that “the Duke was inspired to start the Games after witnessing first-hand how the power of sport can help wounded servicemen and women in their recovery — physically, psychologically, and socially.”
This year, the Invictus Games will be hosted in The Hague between April 16 and 22 — and the Duke of Sussex certainly has a good marketing strategy.
Teaming up with representatives of the Netherlands, he tackled some good ol’ Dutch classics, such as stroopwafeland Scheveningen.
Could the pronunciation be better? Sure. And is there a strangely Russian twang to his accent? Yes. But we’re loving his energy. ✨
Decked out in orange
To top off the good vibes, the prince ended the promotional video by whipping out an orange hat, whacking on some orange sunglasses, and unzipping his jumper to reveal an orange T-shirt. 🧡
Dutch ice skaters who competed at the World Cup final in Heerenveen this past weekend are auctioning off their suits to raise money for war victims in Ukraine.
The skating suit in which the triple Olympic champion Irene Schouten won the Allround Speed Skating Championship this year has already collected more than Є10,000, reports RTL Nieuws. 🤯
The suit of Merijn Scheperkamp, who specialises in sprint distances, saw the highest bid, namely Є1,110. Jutta Leerdam’s suit is now at Є1,070.
In collaboration with Giro555
The auction — which is collecting for Giro555 — will continue until this Friday, 12 PM. Sponsor logos on the suits were replaced with Giro555 and all suits were signed by their previous owners after the final race in the Thialf ice arena yesterday. What a way to show support! 😍
Giro555 is an initiative that was set up by a group of aid organisations to help the victims of the war in Ukraine. To date, the initiative has raised more than Є100 million.
Get your stempas (voting pass), ID, and red pencil ready!Polling stations opened today for Dutch municipal elections 2022 and continue until March 16. 🇳🇱
Some polling stations opened as early as 7:30 this morning and will stay open until 9 PM, reports the NOS.
Distribution of voters
A whopping 13.6 million people can vote in the elections this year — that’s nearly 80% of the population in the Netherlands! 🌍
To accommodate the number of potential voters, the elections are being held across three days this week, similar to the House of Representative elections last year.
Coronavirus measures won’t apply in polling stations anymore — including wearing face masks and social distancing. However, it will still be possible to keep your distance.
Who’s allowed to vote?
Voting is possible in 333 municipalities. Anyone eligible to vote should have received their voting pass in the mail beforehand. 📮 Almost everyone who lives in the Netherlands and is at least 18 years old can vote.
And before you worry, Dutch nationality is not necessary to vote in these elections! 🗳However, if you are from a non-EU country, you need to have lived in the Netherlands for at least 5 years.
Will you be voting in the Dutch municipal elections this year? Tell us in the comments!
The Dutch municipal elections are coming up on March 14, 15 and 16. Wondering how, where and if you can vote? Read on!
The municipal elections take place every four years in the Netherlands. Here, you can vote for the party candidates you want to see represented in your municipal council.
Your elected candidates will then go on to decide on plans and rules for your municipality. Commissioning new building projects, figuring out what to do about the housing crisis or taking care of your waste — all of these are tasks of the Dutch municipal councils.
Who is eligible to vote?
In the Netherlands, you can vote for the municipal council if:
You are a legal resident of the Netherlands with an EU passport;
You are over 18 years old;
You’re not an EU citizen but have been registered as a legal citizen of the Netherlands for at least 5 years.
If you’re an eligible voter for the Dutch municipal elections, you should’ve received your polling card (stempas) in the mail already.
Has it somehow gone lost or missing? You can apply for a new slip on the official website of your municipality until 5 PM on March 11!
When can I vote?
The official election day is on Wednesday, March 16. However, some voting ballots will open on March 14 and March 15 already, if you’re looking to avoid the crowds.
All voting ballots are open from 7:30 AM to 9 PM.
Where can I vote?
You can find the nearest available voting ballots to you by using this official tool. It’s only available in Dutch, but you can type in the name of your municipality under ‘Zoek uw gemeente’ to find your nearest voting ballot.
How can I vote?
You need to take two things to the voting ballot: your polling card and a valid proof of identification. A proof identification can be a passport, a driver’s license or a resident’s document issued in the Netherlands.
Are you unable to go in person?
If you are unable to attend the election in person, you can authorise someone else to vote for you. This can be done by:
Requesting a so-called ‘written proxy’ from your municipality. This is a form that has to be filled out by yourself and the person you’re authorising to issue your vote. The written proxy has to be returned to the municipality by March 11, 5 PM.
Fill in the back of your polling card. Give the polling card to the person voting for you, along with a copy of your ID.
Who can I vote for?
This can be the most confusing point, especially because the list of candidates tend to be very long. You should be able to see the candidates up for election on the official website of your municipality.
If you’re entirely unfamiliar with Dutch politics, we’d recommend you check out the different party programmes to see what changes they propose for your city.
Are you taking part in the Dutch municipal elections this year? Tell us in the comments!
We’ve already been blessed with a couple of very sunny days this March, but there is more to come! ☀️
Next week, temperatures can rise to up to 20 degrees here in the Netherlands, says RTL Nieuws! Do we hear chilling in the park and biertje in the sun? 🍻
The first day of spring is approaching on March 20 according to the calendar, but meteorologically it is already here!
There will be some rain though
Naturally, as we are in the Netherlands, there will be light rainfall over the weekend. “It is meant to be a bit more cloudy and it can rain a little, but not much,” says meteorologist Marc de Jong.
But otherwise, temperatures remain relatively high with around 13 to 14 degrees this weekend. We’re sure some rain here and there won’t spoil the good-weather mood! ☔️
What are your plans for the sunny days ahead? Tell us in the comments!
At a European Council meeting in Versailles, the Netherlands has adopted a stance against the quick accession of Ukraine to the EU.
At the end of February, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked for an accelerated accession procedure for Ukraine. The Netherlands, however, along with other Western European countries, has put its foot down in disagreement.
Informal EU Summit
This week, world leaders arrived in Versailles. On top of the agenda of the EU Council meeting: the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU’s energy independence from Russia and the accession of Ukraine to the EU.
Today and tomorrow I’m in Versailles for an informal EU summit hosted by President @EmmanuelMacron. We will of course be discussing the war in Ukraine in detail. The EU will continue standing shoulder to shoulder with UKR and taking action against Russian aggression. pic.twitter.com/CCp5MepQXb
Zelenkskyy has handed in a hastily compiled application to join the EU. “Our goal is to be together with all Europeans,” he says, according to Politico.
But then there was the question of whether this was an acceptable procedure.
Ukraine pleads for accession, Netherlands says no
Usually, a country joining the EU can take years with long talks, negotiations and close monitoring of the applicant country preceding an accession.
Ukrainian president Zelenskyy has pleaded for a quick accession of Ukraine to the EU under a ‘new special procedure’.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says: “This is a year-long procedure; we have to look at what we can do in the short term.”
The Netherlands is not alone in its opinion. Many Western European countries, including Germany and France, are opposed to a new and quicker accession procedure.
Do you think that Ukraine should join the EU? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
Coronavirus cases across the Netherlands may be doubling but sources claim the Dutch cabinet is ready to announce the end of what has been a very painful era.
Sources from The Hague have leaked to the NOS that the cabinet wishes to abolish all remaining coronavirus measures on March 23. 👀
What does this mean?
It’s simple, if the government was to officially announce this, you could live life in the Netherlands as if it’s 2019 again. Only basic measures such as the advice to cough into your elbow and wash your hands would remain.
Yes, that means that there would be no more testing for entry to large events, no more advice to work at least half the time from home where possible, no more PCR testing for vaccinated travellers and no more face masks on public transport. 😷
The only exception to this will be on aeroplanes facemasks will still be mandatory in this case.
But will this actually happen?
The next question is whether the cabinet will actually go ahead with this. As of yet, the Dutch Outbreak Management Team has not given their advice. This is expected tomorrow and it may change the cabinet’s stance.
The past two years have left many of us adjusting our future plans, wellbeing, and even our dreaded taxes. This is especially the case if you are a cross border worker.
If you live in one country but work in another, that’s you! While it may be great to have such geographical separation between your work and personal life, it does have an effect on your taxes and social security — especially after a two-year-long pandemic.
What kind of taxpayer are you?
Before we jump into the nitty-gritty, there’s one defining factor: whether you are considered a resident taxpayer or a non-resident taxpayer by the Belastingdienst (Dutch Tax and Customs Administration). This is dependent on a number of factors:
Resident taxpayer
“If you have family, personal ties, and a majority of your economic interests in the Netherlands you will be classed as a resident taxpayer — even if you actually work abroad,”
As a resident taxpayer of the Netherlands, you are taxable for your worldwide income. However, if you (partly) work abroad, (a part of) your income relating to the workdays abroad may become taxable in the country where you work (if certain conditions are met).
However, if the majority of your personal and economic interests are located in another (EU) country, but you work in the Netherlands, then you will be considered a non-resident taxpayer in the eyes of the Dutch taxation system.
As a non-resident taxpayer who works in the Netherlands, you will only be taxable for the income relating to your Dutch working days (provided that certain conditions are met).
Over the past two years, many cross-border workers have found themselves becoming remote workers. Essentially, they are spending more of their time working from their country of residence, instead of the country of work.
A remote worker is defined as someone who works for a company but outside of the traditional office environment. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, many of us have spent much of last year’s working hours sitting in makeshift office spaces within our homes — becoming remote workers.
Working from home has become the norm for many of us, but there are important tax implications for cross-border workers. Image:Unsplash
This is where things become different. For the majority of us, the switch to remote work meant nothing more than a significantly reduced commute (bed to office chair) and some new back pain.
However, for cross-border workers, there can be significant implications when it comes to taxation and social security.
Ok, so what are the tax implications for cross-border workers? As we said above, to begin to understand the implications for cross-border workers you need to first determine whether you are a resident or non-resident taxpayer.
Following from this, you also need to determine whether you are working for a Dutch employer or working for a foreign employer. What happens in terms of taxation varies depending on where you fall along this spectrum.
A bit confused? Don’t be! We’ll run through some important definitions and the various scenarios with you.
The 183-day rule
If you’re unsure about whether or not you stand to lose some of your taxation benefits you need to ask yourself the following question:
How many days have I been working from here?
Specifically, you need to calculate whether you spent more than 183 days outside of the country of residence. Why this number?
“If Louis, who is a resident of the Netherlands and works for a Dutch employer, temporarily returns to France to stay with his relatives during the pandemic, he will be liable for taxation in France on his French workdays if he spends more than 183 days in France,” he says.
Resident cross-border workers and Dutch income tax liability
If you are considered a resident worker, and normally work in a different country but now work from your home in the Netherlands, you may find that by the end of the year the majority of your salary is taxable here — instead of the country in which you would normally work.
Meanwhile, any salary that you earned while in the country where you usually work will be taxable there.
As a result, you may end up in a situation where you have to pay a substantial amount of income tax in the Netherlands, whereas you can claim taxes back in the country where you usually work and where your employer is based.
For example: Michael lives in the south of the Netherlands with his family, but commutes to Luxembourg for work. According to the Belastingdienst he is a resident taxpayer.
However, since May 2021 he has worked remotely at home. Now, his salary will be liable for taxation in the Netherlands instead of in Luxembourg, which can lead to a bureaucratic nightmare.
Do you have a Dutch or foreign employer?
Regardless of where you work, as a resident taxpayer, your employer may be either Dutch or foreign. This has implications for how you, as a cross-border worker, can claim tax relief.
A resident taxpayer with a foreign employer
Let’s consider your tax situation if you are a resident taxpayer with a foreign employer.
For example, you have a French employer (who pays your salary). You can claim a relief to avoid double taxation for the income relating to the French workdays (regardless of how many days you spent/worked in France. This means that the 183-day rule does not play a role in this scenario.)
A resident taxpayer with a Dutch employer
On the other hand, if you are a resident taxpayer with a Dutch employer then the situation is slightly different.
If you have a Dutch employer (who pays your salary), then you can only claim a relief to avoid double taxation for the income relating to the French workdays when you spent more than 183 days in France.
The situation is also slightly different if you are a non-resident cross-border worker. Let’s tackle this scenario.
Non-resident cross-border workers: Dutch income tax liability
To begin, let’s recap on what a non-resident cross-border worker is. To clarify, here’s example of a non-resident worker who works in the Netherlands but lives abroad.
For example: Freya, who is a resident of France, normally commutes to her Dutch job from her home in France. When coronavirus hit, she started working from her French home. Because she worked the majority of her time in France, most of her salary will be liable for taxation in France, not the Netherlands.
Do you have a Dutch or foreign employer?
Again, as a non-resident cross-border worker, your tax situation will vary depending on whether your employer is Dutch or foreign. Much like with resident cross-border workers, the difference is seen in how the 183-day rule can be applied in your situation.
Time for some handy examples? We thought so.
A non-resident taxpayer with a Dutch employer
If you are a non-resident taxpayer with a Dutch employer (who pays your salary), you are only taxable for the income relating to your Dutch workdays. This is regardless of how many days you spent/worked in the Netherlands. (I.e. the 183-day rule does not play a role in this scenario.)
30% ruling and non-resident cross-border workers
Under the 30% ruling, incoming employees may be entitled to keep 30% of their wage, including reimbursement for moving costs — tax-free!
If non-resident cross-border workers with a Dutch employer work from home (i.e abroad) during the pandemic, they may find that they lose out on some of the allowances of the 30% ruling.
Why? The 30% ruling is only applicable on income that was earned while working in the Netherlands. If suddenly your income was considered to be earned in France, for example, you could lose a part of that tax benefit.
A non-resident taxpayer a foreign employer
If you are a non-resident taxpayer with a French employer (who pays your salary), your salary will only become taxable in the Netherlands for the income relating to your Dutch work days if you spent more than 183 days in the Netherlands.
A few exceptions: Belgium, Germany
As with everything, there are a few exceptions — and we love to hear about them when it comes to tax.
Certain countries have teamed up during this time of confusion to try and make life a little bit easier for cross-border workers. The magic words here are bilateral agreements. Specifically bilateral agreements between the Netherlands and Belgium, and the Netherlands and Germany.
These agreements mean that cross-border workers who are forced to work remotely from home due to coronavirus will still be liable for taxation in the country in which they were meant to be working.
For example: “Sam lives in Belgium but usually works in the Netherlands. Now, due to the pandemic, Sam is working remotely from Belgium. Thanks to a bilateral agreement between Belgium and the Netherlands, the Belgian tax office will look the other way. Sam’s salary will continue to be taxable in the Netherlands.”
This is the same for cross-border workers who live and work between the Netherlands and Germany.
Note: These bilateral agreements with Belgium and Germany have been extended until March 31, 2022.
Tax implications for cross-border employers during the pandemic
Employers of cross-border workers may also face implications if their employee is working remotely from a different country. Depending on the country involved, the employer might be required to set up a payroll and withhold taxes in the country where the employee works remotely.
Therefore, it is important for employers to get informed about the implications they might face if the employee works remotely outside the country in which the employer is based.
Yup, it looks like the consequences of the pandemic for cross-border employers are also quite significant!
Social security and cross-border workers during the pandemic
Now that we’ve covered taxes, we also need to talk about social security and cross-border work during the pandemic. As you can imagine, it’s no good being covered in the Netherlands if you need to receive the benefits in France.
So what can cross-border workers do about their social security? And how has it been affected by the pandemic?
Social security as a resident worker
Usually, you receive social welfare from the country in which you work. For example, if you are a resident of the Netherlands but work in Belgium, you will have social security in Belgium.
However, in EU/EEA countries and Switzerland, if you spend more than 25% of your work hours working from your country of residence instead of your country of work, then you should receive social security in your country of residence.
Cross-border workers must also consider the implications of working from home on their social security. Image: Unsplash
Now, given that many resident cross-border workers are currently living and working from the Netherlands instead of their country of work, some changes had to be made.
Social security as a non-resident worker
The predicament is similar for non-resident cross-border workers.
If you have a Belgian who works in the Netherlands, then he will be given social security in the Netherlands. However, if he spends more than 25% of his time working in Belgium, then he will become socially insured in Belgium.
Exceptions: the SVB and COVID-19
However, if this rule continued to apply these past two years, there would be a lot of trouble and confusion for cross-border workers and their employers. Thankfully, some exceptions have been made in light of the pandemic.
Last year, the SVB announced that cross-border workers who are currently forced to work from home due to the pandemic will not have to adjust their social security location if the home country is inside the EU/EEA/Switzerland — meaning you didn’t have to worry about a change in your social security position. This applied to both non-resident and resident taxpayers.
However, with the world slowly reopening again, things have gotten a bit more complicated. Here’s what the SVB has to say about working remotely from the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium:
If you are working remotely from the Netherlands: you will no longer be covered for social insurance in the Netherlands if it is no longer mandatory for you to work from home in the country where you should be working.
If you are working remotely from Germany: No sweat, nothing will change so long as you must work from home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
If you are working remotely from Belgium: Also no need to worry yet. If you usually work in the EU/EEA or Switzerland but must work remotely in Belgium due to the pandemic, you will be covered for social security up until June 30, 2022.
Social security and implications for cross-border employers
Usually, when an employee needs to receive social security in their residence country (e.g. the Netherlands) instead of the country in which they work (e.g Belgium), the Belgian company will need to register their business in the employee’s resident country (Netherlands) in order to pay the social security contributions due on behalf of that employee.
As you can imagine, this is a bit of a trek for employers. Luckily, the above exception for workers also applies to employers, meaning they will not have to register their business in a different country if their employees must work remotely due to the pandemic.
This means that if a Dutch employer has a non-resident employee who would like to remain covered for social security in the Netherlands (even if the employees work more than 25% of the time in the country of residence), they won’t have to lift a finger — the SVB will keep that employee covered for as long as these measures are in place. In this scenario, it is also important to check if the country of residence announced similar relaxing measures.
Conversely, this also means that if a foreign employer has a resident employee who works more than 25% of the time in the country of residence (e.g Netherlands), they will not have to become socially insured in the Netherlands so long as the SVB’s exceptions remain. Also in this scenario, it is also important to check if the country of employment announced similar relaxing measures.
Lastly, it is important that you keep yourself up to date on the rules that are applicable in your country of residency and country of work. However, if you remain confused a tax consultant is the way to go.
Phew! We know that is a lot to take in, but it’s always good to keep yourself informed about your tax and social security situation — especially during these times!
How has your work situation been affected by the pandemic? Let us know of your experiences in the comments below!
The Netherlands is continuing to show its support for Ukraine. This time, by helping with the evacuation of its zoo animals.
The Dutch AAP Foundation is currently helping to transport four lions and a wild African dog from Ukraine to one of their rescue centres in Spain.
A long journey
The journey from Kyiv has been a long one for the lions. Brave volunteers from the Ukrainian animal organisation, Wild Animal Rescue, removed the animals from their zoo to bring them to AAP’s partner zoo in Poland.
According to APP’s social media, the volunteers were held at gunpoint by Russian soldiers upon leaving Kyiv but they refused to leave the animals. Eventually, they were allowed to leave.
Following an anxious drive to the zoo in Poland, the animals were given a few days to rest and recuperate.
AAP has been updating the public on the lions’ journey on their Facebook page. Above, they are seen resting at the Polish zoo.
Time to step in
The AAP usually works to help animals organisations within the European Union, however, they made an exception for Ukraine. They explain on social media:
“Even though AAP usually focuses on animals in need in the EU, we could not leave these brave Ukrainians and their animals out in the cold.”
The trip continues
For the past 24 hours, the AAP foundation has been driving the animals to a rescue centre in Spain. They are expected to arrive this afternoon with lions Gyz, Flori, Kiara, and Nila, and the wild African dog Zair. 🦁 💙💛
Uplifted by this story? You can donate to the AAP’s rescue fund to continue supporting efforts to rescue animals from Ukraine.
![Prince Harry tried to speak Dutch and we loved it [VIDEO INSIDE]](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/Prince_Harry_in_April_2018_cropped-e1647255551120.jpeg "Prince Harry tried to speak Dutch and we loved it [VIDEO INSIDE]")
