Edsenga was already moving in the House of Representatives last week when officials from the Ministry of Finance gave an explanation of the new wealth tax introduced by Van Rig. He wonders why only one variant was developed. “At the least, it should be all the options that have been put on the table,” Idesinga says. “It’s too early to take all that way out.”
capital gains tax
The Cabinet was recently preparing for a new box 3 system, which should replace the savings tax set by the Supreme Court. This is the so-called capital gains tax. In this, income from capital, such as interest and dividends, is taxed. But also increases in value, for example, shares or real estate, must be settled, even if only on paper.
The latter in particular bothers Idsinga, because it can lead to “painful situations,” he says. For example, a VVD member refers to entrepreneurs who have just stopped their business, but have not yet sold the store. If the value of this property suddenly increases, a huge bill from the tax authorities can follow. But since this profit is only made on paper, according to Edsenga, the question is whether people have the money to pay the tax bill. He predicts, “If you keep this up, there will be a lot of misery.”
Argos eyes
VVD MP wants other options to be investigated first, such as the capital gains tax, where only the profit actually earned is taxed. “I think it’s going too fast, it should be better ironed out. I think the Secretary of State should go back to the drawing board. Do more homework. Now I have a feeling that a lot of attention is being paid to the implementation and not to what that means for the citizens.”
Elsewhere in the coalition, the position of the VVD in the Box 3 discussion is considered with suspicion. These parties find the capital gains tax to be a useless card, as it provides a lot of room for tax evasion and fraud.
