If the Netherlands wants to remain a major international maritime player in the current level playing field, then maintaining an attractive tonnage regulation is an absolute necessity.
The turnover in shipping has increased by no less than 43 percent, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands. The good news for the sector mainly has to do with price increases due to developments in the global market. The price increases are of a lower level than with foreign shipping companies with huge container ships. The high rates in the container market have been under fire for some time. It is regularly said that shipping companies should pay more tax. Whether that would be sensible requires further explanation.
Maritime shipping has a profit tax, the tonnage tax, which applies to all transport activities in the maritime sector, such as container, cruise and ferry shipping and heavy cargo. Once every ten years, a shipowner has the option of opting for a profit tax specifically for maritime shipping instead of the general profit tax. The annual profit tax to be paid is then determined on the basis of the tonnage of the ship. The taxable profit is calculated on the basis of a fixed amount of profit per net tonne of cargo capacity of the seagoing vessel.
A shipping company therefore always pays tax, both in profitable and loss-making market conditions. In a period of high profits, the shipping company pays relatively little tax. This enables the shipping company not only to absorb the blows in less favorable circumstances, but also to invest in, for example, making ships more sustainable.
In 1996, the Netherlands was the first to introduce the innovative tonnage tax as part of an innovative Dutch government policy to boost shipping. It was a great success and today practically all maritime countries in the world have a tonnage tax that ensures an international level playing field among shipping companies. If the Netherlands wants to remain a major international maritime player in the current level playing field, then maintaining an attractive tonnage scheme is an absolute necessity, says Lodewijk Wisse, of the KVNR.
