Netherlands: the first committee debate on the Belastingplan 2027 ended without a compromise on box 3 or the frozen tax brackets, and new company car rules are planned for 2027–2029. Luxembourg: bill 8800 lengthens the holding period for share gains to twelve months and removes the 17-year limit on losses, a court ruling puts limited partnerships' activity under scrutiny, and the minimum wage rises 3.8% in January. Belgium: the budget deadline passed without a deal, the VAT reform was dropped and talks restarted on 18 October.
The week in one paragraph
All three countries spent the week on budgets. In The Hague the first committee debate on the Belastingplan 2027 produced no compromise on box 3 or on the frozen tax brackets, and the cabinet will return with a new funding plan after the autumn recess. Luxembourg's budget bill moved into scrutiny, with advisers flagging the longer holding period for share gains and the end of the 17-year limit on losses, while a court ruling reminded investors that a limited partnership's activity, not its structure, decides its tax status. Belgium missed its 13 October deadline, dropped the VAT reform and restarted talks on a multi-year plan at the weekend.
Netherlands
Box 3: first committee debate on the Belastingplan 2027 ends without a deal
What happened. The Tweede Kamer finance committee spent Monday on the Belastingplan 2027 package. Finance Minister Eelco Heinen and State Secretary Eelco Eerenberg defended the box 3 plans: in 2027 the tax-free amount falls from EUR 59,357 to EUR 30,846 per person and the deemed return on investments rises to 7.87%. By the cabinet's own estimate about 1.2 million more people would pay box 3. Neither the coalition nor the opposition put a concrete compromise on the table; a new funding plan is expected at the end of October.
Why it matters. The 2027 box 3 figures are not settled, but the direction is: higher tax on investments next year, and from 2028 a new system that taxes actual returns, with gains on shares and bonds taxed when you sell. Investors will need to track their own acquisition costs.
What to do. Keep 2027 projections on both the current and the proposed figures. Do not move assets into a B.V. on the proposal alone; wait for the Council of State's advice on the box 3 amending bill (expected around 28 October) and the Kamer vote, reported for 12 November. Read our note: Dutch box 3 2026–2028 →
“Freedom contribution”: frozen tax brackets lack a majority
What happened. The vrijheidsbijdrage, which funds higher defence spending by skipping part of the usual inflation correction of income tax brackets and credits in 2027 and 2028, has no majority in the Tweede Kamer. Opposition parties on the left and right want it dropped but disagree on how to fill the gap; the coalition offered no alternative in the 12 October debate. The State Secretary will respond after the autumn recess (16–26 October).
Why it matters. Sole traders and partners in a VOF pay more as the same profit moves into higher brackets. The self-employed deduction falls to EUR 900 in 2027 and the 49.5% threshold stays frozen at EUR 78,426. Directors paid through payroll are affected in the same way.
What to do. Reserve more for 2027 income tax if you trade as a sole trader or partnership, and review your provisional assessment once the bill is voted. If your profit is structurally high, this is a moment to reassess the B.V. route. Read our note: Dutch personal income tax →
Source: Accountancy Vanmorgen, 13 Oct 2026, De Zaak, week 42
Company cars: a 14% “greentimer” from 2029, stricter youngtimers
What happened. Under the plans, fully electric company cars aged five to eight years would carry a 14% benefit-in-kind on catalogue value from 2029. The youngtimer regime (35% on market value) tightens: the minimum age becomes 17 years in 2027 and 20 years from 2028, and the planned 25-year threshold is dropped. The regular rate for new electric cars from 2028 is 22% of catalogue value.
Why it matters. For directors of a B.V. who drive a company car, the choice between a new, a nearly new and an older car changes over the next three years. A youngtimer under 20 years old in 2028 may fall out of the regime.
What to do. Review company car plans before ordering or replacing a car. The greentimer is not yet law and the percentage may change, so do not commit on it alone. Read our note: Benelux tax changes in 2027 →
Source: De Zaak, week 42
Luxembourg
Bill 8800: what changes for holdings and share sellers
What happened. Adviser commentary on the 2027 budget bill, filed on 7 October, sets out the measures that matter most for companies and investors. Corporate tax falls by one point from tax year 2027 (22.80% combined in Luxembourg City). The 17-year limit on carrying forward losses from financial years ending after 31 December 2016 is removed, for both corporate income tax and municipal business tax. The holding period after which gains on movable assets, including substantial shareholdings and carried interest, stop being speculative rises from six to twelve months.
Why it matters. The longer holding period hits individuals and non-residents selling shares within a year of acquisition, including non-residents taxed on substantial (over 10%) participations where no treaty protects them. Companies with old losses regain flexibility.
What to do. Check acquisition dates for share sales planned in 2027, and update loss schedules and tax forecasts at the new rates. The bill can still change in parliament; the vote is expected in mid-December. Read our note: Luxembourg tax calculator →
Source: Ogier, 16 Oct 2026, Goodwin, 8 Oct 2026
Limited partnerships: substance decides commerciality
What happened. Commentary published this week highlights two Administrative Court decisions (53183C and 53184C) on special limited partnerships (SCS) set up to finance and exploit rights in single films. Although the corporate general partner held only 0.10%, below the 5% threshold for statutory commerciality, the court found the activities themselves commercial and the partnerships liable to municipal business tax. Single-asset scope and outsourced functions did not change the outcome, and circulars and ESMA guidelines were held not binding on the courts.
Why it matters. Many investment and co-investment structures rely on an SCS or SCSp being non-commercial and therefore outside municipal business tax. The rulings confirm that keeping the general partner below 5% is not enough on its own.
What to do. Review what your partnership actually does, not only how it is set up: active exploitation of assets can tip it into commercial status. Document the passive, investment character of the activity. Read our note: Luxembourg investment vehicles →
Source: Ogier, 16 Oct 2026
Minimum wage up 3.8% from January 2027
What happened. Bill 8837 raises the social minimum wage by 3.8% from 1 January 2027, to EUR 2,876.60 a month for unskilled and EUR 3,451.92 for skilled employees. The government has agreed a one-off contribution of about EUR 48.3 million to the Mutualité des employeurs, covering 1.3 points of the increase. The minimum wage tax credit rises from EUR 81 to EUR 179 in January and EUR 200 in July 2027.
Why it matters. This is on top of the 2.5% indexation in June 2026. Employers with staff near the minimum wage face a structural payroll increase and pressure on the pay scale above it.
What to do. Budget 2027 payroll at the new rates and check employment contracts that refer to the minimum wage. Read our note: Hiring in Luxembourg or the Netherlands →
Belgium
No budget by the deadline; VAT reform dropped
What happened. The coalition missed its 13 October deadline and the Prime Minister cancelled his State of the Union address. On 14 October Bart De Wever put a scaled-back proposal to his deputy prime ministers: a one-year 2027 package of about EUR 4 billion instead of EUR 10 billion, without the contested VAT reform (a 22% standard rate and merged reduced rates), with a debt brake floated as a fallback if no multi-year plan is agreed by the end of December.
Why it matters. With the VAT reform gone, the revenue side of the budget is open again. The income tax cut planned for 2029, which De Wever offered to bring forward, depended on it.
What to do. Do not plan around VAT rate changes for 2027. Keep dividend timing and share sales flexible until the tax measures are published. Read our note: Belgian personal income tax →
Source: Brussels Times, 15 Oct 2026, Brussels Signal, 15 Oct 2026
Talks restart on a multi-year plan
What happened. On Saturday the senior ministers agreed to go back to a multi-year budget, and the core cabinet met again on Sunday evening on a new proposal that again leaves out the VAT increase. The debt brake is set aside as a fallback. One source expects an agreement in the second half of this week.
Why it matters. Parliament needs about two months to pass a budget. Without a deal by the end of October, the government would run on provisional twelfths in early 2027 and new tax measures would arrive late.
What to do. Expect the tax content of the agreement soon. Review it before year-end decisions on dividends, capital reductions and the sale of shares. Read our note: Belgian residents with a Luxembourg company →
Source: Brussels Times, 18 Oct 2026
Biztax filing deadline
What happened. Biztax returns could be filed until 15 October 2026, the deadline agreed between the accountancy profession and the FPS Finance for the 2026 tax season. Extensions remain possible for individual files on grounds of force majeure or other serious reasons.
Why it matters. Late or missing returns trigger increases and can lead to an ex officio assessment.
What to do. If your Belgian company has not filed, contact your accountant now and ask for an extension with reasons. Read our note: Company formation in Belgium →
Source: OECCBB, 25 Sep 2026
Dates to watch
| Date | Country | What |
|---|---|---|
| 16 – 26 October | Netherlands | Tweede Kamer autumn recess; cabinet responds on the Belastingplan afterwards |
| 27 October | Luxembourg | Plenary vote on the single tax class U (bill 8676) |
| Around 28 October | Netherlands | Council of State advice on the box 3 amending bill |
| End of October | Belgium | Budget needed to avoid provisional twelfths in 2027 |
| 31 October | Netherlands | VAT return and payment for Q3 and September 2026 |
| 2 November | Netherlands | Latest date for the box 3 amending bill to reach the Tweede Kamer |
| 12 November | Netherlands | Tweede Kamer vote on the Belastingplan 2027 (reported) |
| Mid-December | Luxembourg | Vote on the 2027 budget (bill 8800) |