The Prime Minister of the Netherlands revealed the results of a commission’s investigation into whether the Dutch Royal Family received a secret tax deal with the government, confirming that there is no deal.
“The conclusion of the historical investigation is that nothing in the studied documents showed that there was such a specific compensation scheme, or so-called ‘secret tax deal,” reads a press release from Prime Minister Rutte on Friday evening.
“There was a completely new arrangement, with all kinds of innovations, of which partial abolition of the tax exemption and the introduction of an income component were two,” the release continues.
“That these elements were part of the comprehensive redesign of the financial structure for the Royal House was not concealed by the government.”
The commission into the possible tax deal was led by Professor C.C. van Baalen. It was brought about by reports from the Dutch broadcaster RTL Nieuws, which in 2016, reported that the Dutch Royal Family “receives ‘generous’ financial compensation for the tax they have been paying over their income from assets since 1973,” reports Dutch News NL online.
At the time, RTL Nieuws reported that it had documents that proved Queen Juliana – who reigned from 1948 to 1980 – had been given a higher state allowance to compensate for her tax payments; and that King Willem-Alexander’s allowance is based on that 1973 deal.
The Dutch Royal Family receives tax-free salaries and does not pay taxes on gifts and inheritances. The public pays for their security, palace upkeep, and the De Groene Draeck yacht.
Dutch News NL reports that the estimated cost of the Dutch Royal Family is around €40 million a year not including security costs.
Professor van Baalen, chair of the Commission ultimately revealed, “There was no question of a secret deal.”
The Commission’s report was delivered to the Houses of the States General and accompanied by a cabinet response.
