1. Setting up a business in The Netherlands
VAT
The VAT in the Netherlands is 19% for a luxury product. A vacation is considered as a luxury
product. When you go by plane you have to pay another 2% on environmental tax. So for
your complete vacation by plane you have to pay 21% tax.
Setting up a business in the Netherlands
When you would like to set up your own business in the Netherlands there are several things
you have to keep in mind.
1) You must determine what the best legal form would be for your Dutch company.
There are several different types of business, for example:
 One man business/one woman business (soletrader) or freelancer
 Partnership under common firm (VOF)
 Private limited liability company (BV)
 Foundation
Check out our brochure about working self employed in the Netherlands.
Look here for more information about the legal forms.
2) Then you can make a business plan.
A good business plan may be essential for mapping out how your business will look. A good
business plan provides answers to the following questions:
 What are you marketing and why?
 To whom?
 What is your plan of attack?
 What will it cost?
 What results will it have to deliver?
The need for a business plan depends on the size of your company and the need for external
finance.
3) Registeryour business with the Chamber of Commerce and find out if there are
diploma requirements.
In some sectors you are required by law to obtain certain diplomas if you are self employed.
The Chamber of Commerce implements these laws and issues the permits associated with
them.
4) Contact the tax authorities.

2. If you are certain that you are ready for business, you should request the "Opgaaf gegevens
startende ondernemers" form (Statement of information by a new business) from the Starters'
Desk of the tax authorities.The tax authorities will make a provisional assessment of your
business and decides which taxes you have to pay and will provide you with the necessary
registration numbers (for example a VAT number).
What kinds of taxes do you have to deal with?
Businesses may have to deal with four kinds of taxes:
1. Value added tax (VAT): it is almost always compulsory for businesses to charge
clients VAT (BTW).
Businesses are nearly always liable to charge value added tax to their clients. The
rate is 6% or 19% depending on the type of product or service. The VAT which
you receive from your client must be paid to the tax office. The VAT which you
have paid out yourself to your suppliers can be offset against this. Value added tax
is paid either monthly, quarterly or annually depending on the type of business you
have and the level of turnover
2. Income tax: if the tax authorities considers you as an entrepreneur, you can benefit
from a number of tax allowances. You will then pay less income tax.
Entrepreneurs who pay turnover tax are not always liable to pay income tax. When
deciding if an entrepreneur has to pay income tax, the tax office will look at the
following:
 the extent of the work performed;
 the level of turnover and profit;
 the time spent in the business;
 the presentation to the market;
 the number of clients (a minimum of three clients is often required);
 the presence of debtors' risk.
If the entrepreneur is liable to pay income tax, he can take advantage of a number of
tax allowances. If you are an employer, you have to make wage deductions and pay
these to the tax authorities. Declaration and payment is usually done on a quarterly
basis.
3. Wages and salaries tax: if you employ staff, you will be liable to pay wage tax. A
payroll administration must be set up.
4. Corporate income tax: if you have a private company with limited liability, you will
be liable to pay corporation tax.

3. If you have chosen a private limited company (BV) as the legal form for your
business, you will have to pay corporate income tax and dividend tax.
Which permits are necessary.
In 2010 the General Provisions environmental law was introduced. This allows you to apply
easier for various permits. Do you want to expand or renovating your factory or office
building? In the past you needed permits for example for building, chop, environment,
demolition and use. The environmental permit are 25 permits together in one permit
Measures contained in the environmental permit:
 Building permit
 environmental
 Planning permission
 demolition
 monument
 Usage
 felling permit
 Entrance or exit permit
 advertising permit
 zoning
 project Decision
 building code
 Flora and Fauna and Nature Conservation
 soil Protection Act
 environmental Reports
 use Reports
b: what kind of qualification is necessary to get the permit.
You don’t need an education to start a company. If you know enough about your work, the
permits are okay and you have an appropriate location. Then you plan is feasible.

4. c: time for getting the permits.
With a simple request you get your environmental permit within eight weeks. This period can
be extended with six weeks once.
In a complex application you will receive up to 26 weeks after your environmental permit.
Also this term can be extended with six weeks once.
The treatment time can take longer. This depends on several things like:
- the type of structure
- the building location
- the different procedures
- the development and the time of submission
- the handling of any objections
d: costs for the permits.
Fees are intended to cover the costs that the community makes to handle an environmental
permit.
The determination of the legal costs for an environmental permit is depending on the activities
that are requested.
For some activities there are fixed amounts
for others, the amounts are related to the building costs
Exclusively for environmental activities are no legal costs payable
because these costs from the municipality are funded by the state
For an application that consists of multiple activities, the fee for each activity will first
determined, Then all amounts are added
The total is the amount of fees due.
E: is it necessary to have a business plan = what needs to be included
In a business plan you will not only investigate the feasibility of your business,
but it is also a good help when you have started your business.
because you have formed ideas about the goals of your company, when they are not reached
you can immediately react.
Writing a business plan is not required, but writing a business plan is very advisable.
Because then you can for yourself and sponsors makes everything easier

5. Finance and running costs,
Finance
What is the interest for buisiness loans?
Base rate for a business loan is 4.5%
What are the subsidies from the gouverment?
Maximum grants from the government, 50,000 euros and credit counseling for a new business
What are the rules to get an subsidie?
Requirements for a grant to get a viable business have been. And on entrepreneurial qualities
like perseverance and business acumen have.
Witch capital is necessary for founding?
Required an initial capital for starting businesses is 18,000 euros.
Running costs
The average income is 34,600 euros per year in the Netherlands.
What are the taxes for this wages?
The taxes in Holland are in these boxes
0 to 18.945 Euro 33.10% tax
18.945 to 33.863 Euros 41.95% tax
33.863 to 56.491 Euros 42.00% tax
56.491 -... . .. Euros 52.00% Tax
Cost insurance / pension for a new employee is about 30% of gross wages
How much do you have to pay for office room and advertising?
Costs for renting business premises are 144-136 euro for a square meter.
Cost to advertise in magazines ranging between 1,000 and 10,000 for a page in color. A radio
spot of 25 seconds costs between 250 and 1,000 euros

6. Taxen
The present Dutch travel agents' scheme will be brief, that VAT is levied only in so far as the
tours take place in the Netherlands.
The trips are regarded as the transport of persons. In some cases it may be claimed on the
application of reduced rate or zero rate.
-Under the current regime, under conditions of travel agents claim the right to deduct input
tax for the Dutch parts of the journey in the Netherlands
as well as place pressure on the unit cost of the tour operator. This is done by some foreign
travel agencies.
-Even travel agents who act as intermediaries, taking on behalf of a travel agency selling
travel, tour of the Dutch system can use.
Approved 6% sales tax is that they fulfill their brokerage commission.
As entrepreneur with a sole proprietor, you pay two types of taxes, income taxes and sales tax.
Income tax is similar to the "normal load"
employees who also pay, instead of wages, an owner of a sole proprietorship income tax on
the profits of the company. VAT is value added tax (VAT).
The VAT is only for consumers, companies can therefore VAT they have paid about
products recover. Btw they have received should they instead give up. you do this in principle
once a quarter through sales tax. Pay less than 1883 Euros VAT per year (2011) then you are
eligible for the small business scheme (KOR) and you do less or no VAT to pay.Income tax is
not calculated on the total profits, there are some special deductions for entrepreneurs. To
receive it you have to meet certain. requirements set by the tax authorities, the main criterion
for this is the hour: at least 1225 hours working in the business (a good time registration is
required for this).
The main deduction is the self-employed, this can amount to more than 9000 euros. For
starters, this is even much higher due to start deductions.
Rights for employees
What are the rights of employees?
1. Right on holidays
2. Sick pay rights
3.Adjustment of working duration

7. 4.Right for permission
1. Every employee has the right to get a number of vacation days. You can count your
vacation days with this form: 4 times the workdays in one week. Normally it is between the
23 and 25 days(5 workdays times 4 + holidays like Christmas, New Year and Easter).
2. Every employee has the right of wage payment by illness. In the Netherlands you call this:
Wet werk en Inkomen naar Arbeidsvermogen(WIA). Translated: Law work and gainings after
working capital. This right contents that people get 70% of their last gained salary until two
years after their sickness. After two years they only get 35%.
3. The adjustment of working hours is set in the law: Wet Aanpassing Arbeidsduur(WAA).
Translated: Law Adjustment Working time. Employees can ask by this law to work less or
more hours. Employers can only refuse this when there is not enough or too much staff.
But there are also three conditions to ask for it:
1. People have to be at least 1 year in service with the same employer.
2. It can only be a change in your own function.
3. When people are sick and ask it, it only starts when they are not sick anymore and start
working.
4. Every employee has the right of permissions: there are two sorts of permissions.
Paid and unpaid.
With paid permission people get, like the name says, paid when they are not at work. You can
get this permission when you are pregnant or when there are important thinks like taking your
child from childcare.
People can get unpaid permission, for instance:
You have to take care of your child or parents, or you start a new study.