4 ms·
The tax difference is WAY more than 10k a year. I'm not even a FAANG level income person, and my taxes are almost double in NL. But as the original question w
by z9znz 4y ago
The tax difference is WAY more than 10k a year. I'm not even a FAANG level income person, and my taxes are almost double in NL.
But as the original question was just about paying taxes, I didn't provide pro/con reasons for living in NL. I chose to live in NL, and I love having good public transport. However, 40-50% discount is not a normal thing. Even so, if you can avoid owning a car, it's cheaper to use public transport. But if like me you live in a village, you still need a car. And car ownership is much more expensive in NL than US. Of course fuel is much more expensive too, but most of us drive very fuel efficent cars here.
All together, the best reasons for living in NL vs US are safety, availability of public transport, and relatively lower income inequality. You give up a lot of $$ for those benefits, but I think it's worth it.
Now, when the moron entitlist farmers protest because they want to be allowed to maximize profit at the cost of regional and global pollution, and the NL government bends over and takes it all, that irks me greatly. So not everything is perfect.
You do save money on dining out, though, because most restaurants have bland food with poor service; thus, it's better to eat at home or at a friend's.
- withinboredom 4y agoHaha. Truth on the food! It’s only a little higher than the US for taxes. But I was self-employed in the US, so I didn’t have an employer invisibly paying half my US taxes. If coming from a place of employment to the NL, a doubling of taxes would be normal? For the car, it’s usually far cheaper to just rent a car for a few hours (SIXT ride share) or days vs owning one.
- z9znz 4y agoIf you come to NL recruited by a company (as an employee), you'll probably be a "highly skilled migrant" and have the benefit of the 30% ruling - https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/en/individuals/content/coming-to-work-in-the-netherlands-30-percent-facility#bd-licollapsed-0 https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/en/individual... This essentially means that 30% of your income will not be taxed. This makes a huge difference! Unfortunately, it does not apply if you are self-employed. The 30% benefit also only lasts a few years. I believe the duration has been shortened in the last couple of years, and now has a maximum of 5 years. Stay longer, and you'll be paying proper Dutch level taxes. As for the car, there are a few good hourly car sharing services. However, those aren't useful if you live in a village where no such cars are near.