In general, a Dutch resident company is subject to CIT on its worldwide income. However, certain income can be exempted or excluded from the tax base. Non-resident entities only have a limited tax liability with regard to income from Dutch sources.
Standard corporate income tax (CIT) rate
The standard CIT rate is 25.8%. There are two taxable income brackets. A lower rate of 19% (15% in 2022) applies to the first income bracket of EUR 200,000 (EUR 395,000 in 2022). The standard rate applies to the excess of the taxable income.
Fiscal investment fund regime
In general terms, under the existing fiscal investment fund regime, the CIT rate for fiscal investment funds is 0%, provided that their profit is made available to the shareholders and holders of certificates of participation no later than eight months after year-end.
Fiscal investment funds may also invest in real estate development (or redevelopment) activities, provided that these activities take place through a subsidiary subject to Dutch CIT and the development (or redevelopment) activities are exercised for the benefit of real estate that is (or will be) forming part of the fund’s own portfolio, an affiliated fiscal investment fund’s portfolio, the portfolio of a company in which the fund or the affiliated fund has a substantial interest, or for the benefit of the subsidiary’s own portfolio ('project development' subsidiary). Fiscal investment funds that invest in real estate are allowed to hold a taxable subsidiary that provides customary services in relation to the real estate held by the Dutch real estate investment trust (REIT). Examples are conference facilities or the exploitation of an in-house restaurant.
As of 1 January 2025, a measure will become effective on the basis of which fiscal investment funds are no longer able to invest directly in Dutch real estate (real estate measure). The real estate measure is intended to ensure that profits earned from Dutch real estate can, in all cases, be taxed with corporate income tax and that an effective levy is guaranteed including, for example, in all cases in which foreign investors invest in Dutch real estate. No change will be made for fiscal investment funds investing in securities. Read more on this topic in our Tax News article.
Exempt investment fund regime
The exempt investment fund regime exists next to the fiscal investment fund regime described above. In order to be eligible for the exempt investment fund regime, the investment fund has to fulfil the definition of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht), which means that its investments are limited to financial instruments such as shares, bonds, options, and futures traded on qualifying stock markets (e.g. Euronext, FTSE, Nasdaq, Dow Jones). Apart from the exempt status for CIT purposes, the exempt investment fund is not required to withhold dividend WHT with regard to profit distributions to its shareholders.Please note that from 1 January 2025, access to the VBI regime is only open to regulated institutions within the framework of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act.
Innovation box regime
A special regime applies with respect to profits, including royalties, derived from a self-developed intangible asset. In this so-called 'innovation box', the taxpayer may opt, under certain conditions, for the application of a lower effective rate on taxable profits derived from these intangible assets. The effective tax rate of the innovation box is 9%.
The innovation box is applicable if at least 30% of the profits have been originated by the patent. Companies that have incurred certain qualified research and development (R&D) costs for the development of intellectual property (IP) for which no patent was granted are also entitled to the favourable effective tax rate.
The lower effective tax rate only applies to positive income, allowing innovation losses to be taken into account in full. It is also possible to include profits from an intangible asset derived in the period between the patent application and the granting of the patent in the innovation box regime (not for R&D assets).
The Dutch innovation box regime is aligned with the modified nexus approach as described in the OECD report on Action 5 and is considered as non-harmful by the EU Code of Conduct Group.
Tonnage tax regime
In order to stimulate entrepreneurs engaged in ocean shipping, a favourable regime (known as the Dutch tonnage tax regime) may be available to certain shipping companies. Under this regime, the taxable profit of a sea-going vessel is based on its registered net tonnage multiplied by a fixed amount of deemed profit per ton instead of the actual profits from the exploitation. The regime only applies to the calculation of the profit related to the qualifying shipping activities. These activities include operating vessels in international traffic (including transportation for the purpose of the exploitation of natural resources at sea), cable and pipe-laying activities at the bottom of the sea, and towing and dredging and connected activities. The profits from the qualifying activities are taxed at a deemed tonnage profit according to a five bracket regressive scale system. The tonnage tax regime applies upon request and for a fixed period of ten years or multiples of the ten-year period.
There is a ceiling for ships subject to a time or voyage charter that do not fly an EU/EEA flag. When a ship is put into service on or after 1 January 2020, at least one ship in the fleet will have to fly an EU/EEA flag, and a flag requirement will be introduced for ship managers. In addition, there is a profit ceiling for non-transportation activities of a maximum of 50% of the annual profit (this is, for example, relevant for cruise ships).
Please read more on tonnage tax here.
Local income taxes
There are no provincial or municipal corporate income taxes in the Netherlands.
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Dutch Resident Company and CIT
A Dutch resident company is subject to Corporate Income Tax (CIT) on its worldwide income. However, certain income can be exempted or excluded from the tax base. On the other hand, non-resident entities have a limited tax liability with regard to income from Dutch sources.
Standard Corporate Income Tax (CIT) Rate
The standard CIT rate in the Netherlands is 25.8%. There are two taxable income brackets. A lower rate of 19% (15% in 2022) applies to the first income bracket of EUR 200,000 (EUR 395,000 in 2022). The standard rate applies to the excess of the taxable income.
Fiscal Investment Fund Regime
Under the fiscal investment fund regime, the CIT rate for fiscal investment funds is 0%, provided that their profit is made available to the shareholders and holders of certificates of participation no later than eight months after year-end. Fiscal investment funds may also invest in real estate development activities, subject to certain conditions .
Exempt Investment Fund Regime
The exempt investment fund regime exists alongside the fiscal investment fund regime. To be eligible for the exempt investment fund regime, the investment fund must fulfill the definition of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act. The investments of exempt investment funds are limited to financial instruments such as shares, bonds, options, and futures traded on qualifying stock markets. Apart from the exempt status for CIT purposes, the exempt investment fund is not required to withhold dividend WHT (Withholding Tax) with regard to profit distributions to its shareholders.
Innovation Box Regime
The innovation box regime in the Netherlands provides a special tax regime for profits derived from self-developed intangible assets. Under this regime, companies may opt for a lower effective tax rate of 9% on taxable profits derived from these intangible assets. The innovation box regime is applicable if at least 30% of the profits have been originated by the patent. It also allows for the inclusion of profits from an intangible asset derived in the period between the patent application and the granting of the patent.
Tonnage Tax Regime
The tonnage tax regime is a favorable tax regime available to certain shipping companies engaged in ocean shipping. Under this regime, the taxable profit of a sea-going vessel is based on its registered net tonnage multiplied by a fixed amount of deemed profit per ton, instead of the actual profits from the exploitation. The tonnage tax regime applies to qualifying shipping activities and is subject to specific conditions.
Local Income Taxes
In the Netherlands, there are no provincial or municipal corporate income taxes.
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