Defying the OECD’s crackdown on tax evasion
There it is again, this week. The outrageous ad in The Economist, thinly veiled as a job posting. I had not seen it for a few weeks and hoped it … Continue reading
Bermuda: We are not a tax haven
In a highly entertaining Dutch TV documentary, small entrepreneur Jan sets out to minimize his tax bill. That’s easier said then done! Jan quickly finds out that for someone living … Continue reading
Belgium far more transparant than Luxembourg and the Netherlands
Luxembourg In April I visited Luxembourg to discuss progress against tax avoidance. Believe it or not, Luxleaks has triggered some serious changes in the country, and there’s even the start … Continue reading
Will this time be different?
While the Duth government was blocking EU measures against harmful hybrid financing structures, it continued with tax innovation. In 2010, it lowered the preferential rate of the patent box from … Continue reading
Dutch tax innovation
In 2006, the Netherlands started truly innovating its tax system. The most famous Dutch tax innovation – the exemption of dividend income and capital gains from subsidiaries – had long … Continue reading
Fiscal Apartheid
When the Netherlands had transformed its tax ruling regime (see previous blog), the job was not over yet. The OECD and EU also targeted ring-fenced regimes. Ring fencing is the … Continue reading
The Barbapapa tax haven
It is little know that around the turn of the millennium, the Dutch Finance Ministry created a secret group of high-ranking tax officials called the Barbapapa group. You may wonder, … Continue reading
