The Netherlands’ gambling regulator is offering partial tax refunds to operators who were impacted by COVID-19.
Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) will consider giving back to land-based firms that had to shut their doors during 2020 and 2021 in line with national pandemic lockdowns to help stop the spread of the virus.
One operator who took a hit from the closures raised concerns with the Dutch Council of State earlier this year, arguing the KSA shouldn’t have imposed a gambling tax while the venue was closed for part of 2020.
The council found the operator was exempt from paying gambling tax on days it couldn’t open and later ruled the tax should be refunded for these periods.
Following that ruling, the KSA have opened up similar refund options to other operators impacted by the pandemic and those who believe they have a claim can submit one by November 14.
In a statement, the regulator wrote: “In practice, this means a partial refund of the levies based on the periods in which the sector was forced to close due to the coronavirus.
“This refund will also include the statutory interest from the payment date by the licence holder, to the repayment date of the tax.”
Last month the KSA voiced concern over the industry’s risk analysis measures put in place online and the Dutch gambling space continues to hear shouts for reform.
In July it was revealed over 100,000 people in the Netherlands had signed up for a voluntary gambling ban and black market gambling is on the rise.
The regulator urged gambling operators to consider whether they currently owe any tax and if a refund application is ‘worthwhile,’ vowing to review each one for accuracy.
The KSA warned a refund of the gambling tax may have consequences, including previously received support during the pandemic or taxes due.
In August, the regulator declared the recent tax hike a failure with gross gaming revenue (GGR) steadily declining across both online and land-based markets in the Netherlands.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
