Legislation passed at the end of 2024 already stipulates that the first bracket of the WKR’s discretionary allowance will rise from 2% to 2.16% with effect from 1 January 2027. However, following an evaluation of the WKR covering the years 2019–2024, SEO Economic Research (SEO) has recommended that the first bracket of the discretionary allowance should be abolished altogether. It is likely to become clear on Prinsjesdag 2026 whether the government will adopt this recommendation.
It will also become clear then whether the government will adopt the following recommendations from SEO:
It is expected that, at the very least, the targeted exemption for discounts and allowances on products from the company’s own business will be abolished.
The reimbursement rate under the expat scheme (formerly the 30% scheme) will be reduced from 30% to 27% with effect from 1 January 2027. At the same time, higher salary thresholds will also apply. These changes have already been incorporated into the legislation. The government has indicated that it does not intend to make the expat scheme any more restrictive.
As previously announced – and having already come into force with retroactive effect from 1 January 2026 – the tax-free allowance for travel expenses has been increased from €0.23 to €0.25. This increase applies to the tax-free travel allowance that an employer pays to their employee, and to the deductible business travel expenses of a self-employed person or a person receiving income from a business for income tax purposes. From the 2026 income tax return onwards, you may also take this higher amount into account when calculating deductible medical expenses.
Please note! The increase to €0.25 is currently set out in a decree, but will also be incorporated into law as part of the 2026 Prinsjesdag tax package.
From 2027, an employer who makes a passenger car available to an employee – i.e. a company car – will be required to pay a 12% pseudo-final levy to the Tax and Customs Administration on the list price of the passenger car, including VAT and BPM. This proposal was already adopted last year, but amendments are expected on Prinsjesdag 2026, such as an exemption from the pseudo-final levy for replacement cars in the event of damage, repairs and maintenance, and an exemption from the levy for driving school cars.
The government is considering not raising the age limit under the youngtimer scheme from 16 to 25 years in one go on 1 January 2027. A company car covered by the youngtimer scheme is subject to an additional tax liability of 35 per cent of its market value, rather than the standard additional tax liability that applies to newer cars. The government is considering an alternative phasing-out approach instead of the increase to 25 years with effect from 1 January 2027.
The government is considering introducing a new tax relief scheme for electric cars between five and eight years old. This scheme is expected to be named the ‘Greentimer’ scheme.
There is a plan to introduce a tax relief on payroll tax for benefits arising from share options for employees of start-ups and scale-ups. The tax relief will take the form of limiting the tax base for benefits from share options to 65 per cent, so that tax is levied on a lower benefit amount. The effective payroll tax rate will then be approximately 32 per cent, which is roughly equivalent to the tax rate on share options in box 2.
The government has previously indicated its intention to present the relevant bill to the House of Representatives in September 2026. The aim is for the reduced payroll tax on share options to come into force on 1 January 2027.
With regard to tax relief options for entrepreneurs, the following changes are expected in the tax package:
For private individuals, the deduction for specific healthcare costs is likely to be abolished with effect from 1 January 2028. Furthermore, on Prinsjesdag, various amendments are expected to the ‘Actual return on investment in Box 3’ bill, which is still under consideration by the Senate. There are several options for this, on which the government will take a decision in August.
The general residential rate for transfer tax is likely to be reduced from 8% to 7% with effect from 1 January 2027. This rate applies to the acquisition of residential properties which the purchaser does not intend to use as their main residence.
For transfers of residential properties between housing associations within the social housing sector, there is likely to be an exemption from transfer tax.
The plan to increase the VAT rate on floricultural products from 9% to 21% with effect from 1 January 2028 is also expected to feature in the tax packages announced on Prinsjesdag 2026.
Al langer bestaat de wens om het belastingstelsel eenvoudiger en doelmatiger te maken. Een manier om dat te bereiken is het schrappen van negatief beoordeelde fiscale regelingen. Bijkomend voordeel hiervan is dat er financiële middelen vrijkomen om andere beleidsopgaven te dekken.
De Tweede Kamer heeft op 26 februari 2026 ook een motie aangenomen om de in het coalitieakkoord opgenomen vrijheidsbijdrage op een andere manier te financieren, bijvoorbeeld door het afschaffen of versoberen van negatief beoordeelde fiscale regelingen.
De staatssecretaris geeft aan dat van de 124 geëvalueerde fiscale regelingen er 55 negatief zijn. Negatief kan betekenen dat ze niet doeltreffend, niet doelmatig en/of te complex zijn. Het totale budgettaire belang van deze regelingen is ongeveer 90 miljard euro.
Het kabinet heeft over een deel van de 55 negatief beoordeelde fiscale regelingen al de volgende voorstellen gedaan:
In de lijst van 55 negatief beoordeelde fiscale regelingen hebben, buiten de hiervoor genoemde regelingen, nog andere regelingen het label “reden voor overheidsingrijpen” gekregen. Dit betekent overigens niet dat deze regelingen per definitie op de nominatie staan om af te schaffen. Overheidsingrijpen kan ook aanpassen van de regeling betekenen. Het gaat om de volgende regelingen:
Het kabinet beslist in augustus welke negatief beoordeelde fiscale regelingen afgeschaft of aangepast worden. De verwachting is dat het met name zal gaan om de regelingen waarvoor al voorstellen voor zijn gedaan, zoals hiervoor beschreven. Op Prinsjesdag 2026 wordt een en ander bekendgemaakt.
Let op! Als een negatief beoordeelde fiscale regeling op Prinsjesdag overeind blijft, wil dat niet zeggen dat deze op een later moment niet alsnog kan worden aangepakt.
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