Finance Minister to skip IMF summit for dividend tax debate

Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Finance will skip te autumn meeting of the International Monetary Fund in Bali this year, so that he can be available for consultations on the possible abolition of dividend tax, his spokesperson said, ANP reports.

The coalition parties said they will reconsider the abolition of dividend tax, after Unilever announced on Friday that the company is scrapping the move of its head office to Rotterdam. "These are consultations where it would be convenient if Hoekstra is in The Hague", the Minister's spokesperson said. Hoekstra wants to be available to answer questions about budget rules, for example. That would be difficult if he were traveling to Indonesia, given the long flights and time difference.

The Netherlands will be represented at the IMF summit by President Klaas Knot of De Nederlandsche Bank and senior officials of the Ministry of Finance instead.