Dutch opposition urges government to scrap proposed box 3 tax changes

Dutch opposition parties PRO and Volt have urged the government to withdraw proposed changes to the tax on income from savings and investments, known as box 3, after the Council of State warned that the plans were rushed, irresponsible and not feasible to implement.

The government is seeking to amend the rules under significant time pressure, according to the Council’s advice as reported by Nieuws.nl. The article does not set out the proposed changes or the Council’s full reasoning.

PRO’s financial affairs specialist Luc Stultiens called the proposal “expensive botched work” and described the Council’s opinion as “devastating”. He said the government should withdraw it and use the resulting billions to make work pay.

Volt leader Laurens Dassen also called for the plans to go back to the drawing board. He said the Council’s message could not be clearer, describing the proposals as unworkable, rushed and irresponsible. Both politicians said tax relief should prioritise workers over people with wealth.