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Blue envelopes for blue bloods: parties want king to pay tax

October 26, 2023

Most parties participating in the elections on November 22 have said they want the king to pay tax like any other Dutch citizen, according to research by ProDemos and quoted by broadcaster NOS.

Some 13 parties are now in favour of taxing the royal family, which means the two-thirds majority needed to change the constitution will become a possibility.

The royals don’t pay tax on part of their income, including the money they are allocated by the state for their personal staff and other amenities to do with their public role. The amount they are receiving is currently €8.9 million a year because princess Amalia has renounced her allowance until she graduates.

The exemption, in place since 1848 to ensure king Willem I would remain independent, means the king only pays tax on his private fortune.

Fledgling party NSC said in its newly published manifesto the rule was “obsolete”, while far right JA21 told ProDemos there is no “social consensus for exemptions”. The BBB said the king should pay tax “like any other person”.

D66, GroenLinks/PvdA, SP, PVV, Partij voor de Dieren, Denk, BIJ1 and Volt have been calling for a change for years but have always been opposed by the Christian parties CDA, CU and SGP, and the VVD.

Prime minister Mark Rutte has argued repeatedly that a constitutional change is too complicated and lacks support. That may now change as the latest poll of polls shows a 110 seat majority in the lower house, 10 more than are needed, and the requisite 50 in the senate.

The royal family’s popularity has seen a decline in recent years, a survey by Ipsos carried out on budget day this year showed. Just 50% of respondents said they were in favour of a continuation of the monarchy. When Willem-Alexander became king 10 years ago some 80% supported the monarchy.

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