The Netherlands Ministry of Finance has released the Spring Memorandum 2025 on 18 April 2025, detailing budget adjustments and policy decisions, including tax measures. It confirms that the government is scrapping the planned VAT increase on culture, media, and sport.
It will also reduce the tax on energy bills and will allocate EUR 200 million per year for this purpose in the years 2026 to 2028. In addition, the inflation adjustment for income tax will be limited, resulting in smaller changes to tax brackets and credits.
The government will introduce a new scheme to boost employee participation in start-ups and scale-ups by taxing 65% of income from stock options, which is a 35% reduction. Additionally, changes to Box 3 income include raising the deemed return for other assets by 1.78% and reducing the tax-free allowance to EUR 51,396.
The Spring Memorandum, which Finance Minister Eelco Heinen sent to the House of Representatives, includes updates on the budget for this year and a preview of plans for 2026 and the years to follow. If approved, these measures are set to take effect in 2026.
