The Dutch tax office is missing out on €16bn a year because of loopholes and tax-avoidance schemes used by Dutch multinationals, according to research by Utrecht professor Geerten Michielse for tv programme Zembla.

Michielse, who also works for the IMF and World Bank, calculated that multinationals pay an average of 6% to 7% of their earnings in corporate taxes. The official corporation tax rate is 25.5%.
The lost €16bn is the equivalent of €2,200 for every Dutch household.
‘You would expect big Dutch companies like Philips and Unilever to contribute to Dutch society and the treasury,’ Labour MP Paul Tang said in reaction to the figures. ‘ It is a public secret that multinationals have been given an easy ride by the tax office for years. Philips and Shell don’t pay a cent tax in the Netherlands.’