AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (CelebrityAccess) — The Association of Event Makers (VVEM) in the Netherlands has raised “major concerns” over a planned Value Added Tax (VAT) increase that VVEM says will have a significant impact the Dutch event industry.
The proposed change announced by the new Dutch government will more than double the current VAT rate of 9% to 21% starting in 2026.
According to the VVEM, the increased tax rate will have “far-reaching consequences” for Dutch artists and for promoters and entrepreneurs in the live events industry, which employs more than 100,000 people in the European nation.
“This makes our country less attractive for large-scale (international) productions and puts great pressure on the business climate in this sector,” the VVEM said in a statement opposing the tax increase.
“This announced increase weakens the competitive position of our industry compared to neighboring countries, where low rates are still charged. This means that large, international productions will be absent more often and festivals will lose their audience to events in neighboring countries, with all the financial consequences that entails. This policy puts the Dutch events industry, which is a global leader, at a major disadvantage. The VVEM suspects that the new government has not realized that a measure like this will hit ordinary Dutch people hard, who like to go to events. The flywheel effect is that the business climate in the industry is also hit hard. We would like to enter into discussions with a new government to convince them not to take this measure,” the VVEM statement continued.
