August 30th, 2007 by lana
Home ownership among the Dutch was relatively unusual until the 1960s when increasing numbers of people sought to buy or build their own homes. The government continues to encourage home ownership. Freedom of choice and individual homes are now encouraged, which contrasts with previous policies of building mass produced housing with little character. ( for more info click here)
August 30th, 2007 by lana
Netherlands is an environmentally conscious country with a pleasant atmosphere. You will find a mix of old and new architecture and an affinity to bicycle transport, enjoyed on mainly level terrain. Main language is Dutch with German, French and English also widely spoken.
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August 30th, 2007 by lana
Corporate income tax
As of 1January 2006, the standard rate of corporate income tax (CIT) in the Netherlands is 29.6% with the first €22,698 being taxed at 25.5% (previously 31.5% and 27% respectively). From 1 January 2007, it is proposed that the standard CIT rate will be further reduced to 26.9%. Dutch CIT is payable by Dutch-resident entities as well as by non-resident entities which trade through a branch, agency in the Netherlands or hold property held in the Netherlands. CIT is reportable to the tax authorities on an accounting year basis.
CIT is charged at 0% for specifically defined (real estate) investment institutions (REITs) provided certain strict conditions are met.
( for more info click here)
August 7th, 2007 by Ines
Home ownership among the Dutch was relatively unusual until the 1960s when increasing numbers of people sought to buy or build their own homes. The government continues to encourage home ownership. Freedom of choice and individual homes are now encouraged, which contrasts with previous policies of building mass produced housing with little character.
The Netherlands is a small but densely populated country. This leads to situations, particularly around the major cities, where property demand exceeds supply and therefore prices become inflated beyond the reach of many potential buyers. However, this is not so much of an issue in the north of the country.
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August 3rd, 2007 by Ines
There has been much talk in the UK of a future property price crash - the so called “boom-and-bust scenario”. However, property has come off the boil without a crash in Ireland, Australia and The Netherlands recently. PropertyInvesting.Net has unearthed definitive data from The Netherlands (all provinces, Kadaster.nl) which show that despite the economy going into recession in 2003 (higher unemployment and GDP growth of -2%) house prices rose slightly in most areas - the boom of 1998 to 2002 did not end in a bust - latest data for 2004 confirms this.
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August 3rd, 2007 by Ines
Personal Income Tax (The ‘Box’ System)
Under the Dutch tax system, you will have not one, but three taxable incomes, each of which falls into a ‘box’. Each box has its own tax rate:
Box 1: taxable income from work and home ownership, profits, social security benefits and pensions:
Box 2: taxable income from a substantial shareholding interest taxed at a fixed rate of 25%. For 2007, the first €250,000 is taxed at 22%.
Box 3: taxable income from savings and investments (viz. real estate) levied at a fixed rate of 30%.
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August 3rd, 2007 by Ines
Housing boom has resumed
Netherlands is experiencing one of the longest house price booms in Europe. House prices rose by 271% (150% in real terms) from €60,300 in 1985 to €224,000 in 2005. During the peak of the Dutch housing boom, which lasted from 1995 to 2001, house prices rose by over 89% (64% in real terms).
The dramatic price rises during the six years 1995-2001 reflected strong GDP growth for the Dutch economy, and dramatic cuts in interest rates. Average annual GDP growth from 1995 to 2000 was 3.6%.
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August 3rd, 2007 by Ines
ROZ / IPD measures the returns achieved on real properties and investment portfolios from December 1994 to December 2006.
For 2006 the Index comprises 5,369 assets with a combined value of €45.2bn.
It is estimated that the sample represents 60% of the value of the holdings of the financial institutions and quoted property companies in the Netherlands.
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August 3rd, 2007 by Ines
Housing options and prices in the Netherlands
Finding a place to live is not easy in the Netherlands, especially in the larger cities such as Amsterdam, Den Haag, Rotterdam and Utrecht.
There is simply not enough accommodation available to satisfy demand. Also in student cities like Leiden and Groningen, it can be very difficult. The demand for rentals is very high due to property prices; buying a house in Holland has become extremely expensive in the last few years.
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July 30th, 2007 by Ines
The allocation of Dutch retirement assets to real estate is certainly no longer what it once was (see figure one). Over the last six years, even though investment in real estate has increased in terms of overall assets, part of that increase is attributable to factors such as the recent stock market slump. But, while it seems at first glance that real estate is not very popular, pension funds have always had an exposure to the asset class and real estate managers claim that a pick up in allocations is taking place.
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