Filling up across the border costs 65 million

The Dutch government missed out on 65 million euros in consumer tax and value added tax (VAT) in January alone, according to calculations of the Bovag (a union of automobile merchants and mechanics). The national earnings from the increased consumer tax will fall short, because Dutch carriers and consumers turn to Germany and Belgium in large numbers, according to the organization.

A survey conducted by the Bovag among 575 gas stations, comparing January 2014 sales to January last year's, showed a drop of 25 percent in Diesel sales at stations within 5 kilometers from the border, a 13 percent drop in gas sales, and a 20 percent drop in tobacco sales. Even gas stations within 20 kilometers from the border registered a drop in sales of 20 percent for LPG and 17 percent for Diesel. The drop in sales is not limited to stations along the border, but noticeable throughout the country. National sales dropped 11 percent for Diesel, 19 percent for LPG, and 4 percent for gas, which adds up to 90 million Liters, according to the Bovag statistics. Reports that International carriers no longer fill up their tanks in the Netherlands come in from all over the country, according to Transport and Logistics Netherlands (TLN), who works on producing facts. In response to the plea of Koos Burgman, CEO of Bovag, to reverse the consumer tax increase, the Minister of Finances will keep tracking the developments, but thinks it's too early to draw any conclusions based on the turnover of one month. The Dutch state earned 3.8 billion euros with consumer tax and VAT in 2013. 'An increase of 353 million euros was anticipated for 2014, but based on January's result, that is not going to happen,' said Burgman.