The parties aiming to form a coalition government would raise the rate to 37.8 per cent.

The Netherlands.- The four parties that aim to form a new coalition government in the Netherlands plan to raise the tax on gambling. A “budgetary appendix of coalition agreements” proposes a “structural taxation increase” in gambling tax to 37.8 per cent​​”.

The appendix of the document notes: “The gambling tax will be increased by €202m on a structural basis. This means a rate increase from 30.5% to 37.8%.”

After six months of negotiations, the Party for Freedom (PVV) says it has agreed a basis of terms to form a coalition government with the Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the New Social Contract party (NSC) and the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB). It is still not clear who will run to be the next prime minister.

New online gambling regulations

Meanwhile, The Dutch Advisory Board on Regulatory Burden (ATR), an independent watchdog that monitors regulatory burdens on businesses, consumers and the public sector, has questioned the need for proposed new regulations for online gambling. It suggests that the new requirements would represent an unnecessary technical burden for operators.

Legal protection minister Franc Weerwind has proposed monthly financial risk checks on customer accounts when spending surpasses €350 and a mandatory €150 loss limit for players aged under 24. Operators would also need to ensure that trained staff contact customers one-to-one every 30 minutes to provide care warnings.

However, the ATR asked whether technical challenges had been considered and questioned whether the measures would have the intended results. It highlighted a report suggesting that up to 5 per cent of players would be likely to increase their deposit limits to avoid controls. It also noted that Kindred Group has estimated that it would need to increase its customer care headcount by half to meet the requirement for care warnings.