ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Income tax in the Netherlands

Hello! Today we're going to talk about income tax in the Netherlands, but don't worry if you don't know what that means.

Income tax is like a special fee that you have to pay to the government whenever you earn money. So, if you got some money for doing a chore or a job, you might have to give a little bit of that money back to the government.

In the Netherlands, the amount of income tax you have to pay depends on how much money you earn. This is called a progressive tax system. The more you earn, the higher percentage of your income you'll have to give to the government.

Now, let's talk about how you know how much income tax you have to pay. First, you'll need to figure out your taxable income. This is the amount of money you earned minus some deductions (like childcare expenses or mortgage interest payments) that the government lets you subtract from your income.

Once you know your taxable income, you can use a tax table to figure out how much tax you owe. The tax table is basically a chart that shows you what percentage of your income you have to give to the government at each income level. For example, if your taxable income is between €20,000 and €35,000, you might have to pay 30% of your income in taxes.

But don't worry, you don't have to do all of this on your own if you don't want to. There are tax preparers in the Netherlands who can help you fill out your tax forms and figure out how much tax you need to pay. And if you're not sure if you even need to pay income tax, you can always ask the Dutch tax office for help.

So, that's income tax in the Netherlands explained like you're five. Remember: income tax is like a fee you have to pay to the government when you earn money, and in the Netherlands, the amount you pay depends on how much you earn. But, don't worry, there are people who can help you figure it all out.