• Animal spirits - Holland steals from us
  • Economy The Dutch Finance Minister admits he has shown a lack of empathy with southern Europe

" Without a doubt, the Netherlands is a tax haven within the EU . " Javier García-Bernardo responds to this newspaper precisely from Amsterdam, where he is about to finish his doctorate in Economics and from where he has also co-directed a harsh document published last month by Tax Justice Network, a network that works for international tax justice . The conclusion: the Netherlands' lax taxation causes a loss of more than 9,000 million euros in taxes to the rest of the countries of the European Union. "The Netherlands opposes further aid or measures such as the Coronabonos while taking advantage of its membership in the EU to be a tax haven, this cannot be the case," continues García-Bernardo.

In its report, the Tax Justice Network notes that the Netherlands plays a key role in the profit and outcome strategies of large corporations. "In the case of the American multinationals, 70,000 million dollars of profits are registered in this country, with a tax payment that hardly reaches 3,400 million, which supposes a tax rate of just 4.9%", he maintains .

“For example, for every coffee sold by Starbucks Italy, a payment is made to Starbucks Netherlands for rights to use the brand. This reduces the benefits of Starbucks Italia and increases those of Starbucks in the Netherlands. The payment cannot be taxed due to the directive on interest and royalties approved in 2003 ”, he continues.

In other words, the company is taxed in the Netherlands, whose tax burden is significantly lower, due to benefits and an activity that it has carried out in Italy, obtaining significant savings and depriving the Italian treasury of the corresponding income. "Tolerating this fiscal behavior in the Netherlands, the EU accepts that the rest of the countries lose between 10,000 and 15,000 million dollars a year ", is calculated in the document.

"There is a need for greater transparency, for companies to pay their taxes in the place where they carry out their activity and for a minimum rate of 25% to be imposed on corporate tax," says García-Bernardo. "EU countries have to have similar taxation. It has to happen. Countries like France, Spain and Italy cannot allow this any longer, "he insists. Although for this it would be necessary to convince the Netherlands themselves and the controversial Prime Minister Mark Rutte, since fiscal decisions require unanimity in the EU. And that, given the background and benefits that country obtains, certainly seems complicated.

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