Overview of 29 law changes to take effect in the Netherlands on January 1, 2024
Every year, the Netherlands implements several new and modified laws and regulations on January 1. Below follows a list of those law changes taking effect at the start of 2024. NL Times previously published extensive articles on law changes expected to impact people's wallets, as well as those law changes affecting safety and security in the Netherlands.
Finance and Social Affairs
From next year, the minimum wage will be calculated on an hourly basis instead of a monthly basis, effectively scrapping separate minimum wages based on an employer's definition of "full time."
The minimum wage in 2024 will be 13.27 euros per hour. A full-time employee working 36 hours per week will receive 2,070 euros per month. Minimum wage earners working 40 hours per week will receive 2,300 euros. Both figures are increases compared to 2023, when minimum wage was set on a monthly basis. Minimum wage earners working 36 hours and those working 40 hours per week both received 1,995 euros per month.
Benefits linked to the minimum wage will also increase, for example, the AOW pension, the WW unemployment benefit, and social assistance.
The maximum travel allowance employers may pay their employees tax-free will increase from 21 to 23 cents per kilometer.
Parents will receive more benefits for their children, and more parents will become eligible for the subsidy for child-related costs known as the Kindgebonden budget. The maximum hourly allowance for daycare and after-school care will also increase to compensate for the rising costs.
The price ceiling for energy that was in force last year will be scrapped. Anyone who, despite the falling energy prices, continues to spend an excessive amount of their income on gas and electricity can continue to rely on an emergency fund set up for this purpose.
Airline passengers will pay a flight tax of 28.58 euros next year, up from 26.43 euros. That is four times the amount in 2022.
Energy suppliers may charge a maximum of 46.69 euros per gigajoule for district heating in 2024. This year, it is still 90.91 euros per gigajoule.
Health, Welfare, and Sport
E-cigarettes must have neutral or tobacco-like flavors, as flavors like tompouce or cherry will be forbidden. This is supposed to make the vaping less appealing to younger generations.
The Nutri-Score will become the government's official rating system to help people make healthy choices when buying food. Manufactures will not be obligated to participate, but if they choose to use the rating system on one product within their range, they must use it for all other products.
The consumption tax on non-alcoholic drinks like soft drinks and fruit juices will rise to 26.13 euros per 100 liters. This consumption tax is not expected to apply to milk or bottled water.
Domestic Affairs and Kingdom Relations
Landlords may increase rental prices on private sector residences by a maximum of 5.5 percent from January 1. Rental prices on the social housing market may increase by no more than 5.8 percent from July 1.
Municipalities will be given more power to give prioritize to their own residents, people with specific professions, or other groups if they want to rent a home, or purchase a newly-built home with a maximum price of 390,000 euros.
More people can take advantage of the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG) when they buy a home. The maximum permitted home valuation for this purpose will increase from 405,000 to 435,000 euros. The NHG is a safety net for homeowners who may be faced with falling house prices, financial problems, or forced sales.
Several mortgage rules are being adjusted. People will be allowed to borrow more money in a mortgage if they buy an energy-efficient home or if they choose to make a property more sustainable.
Parents can no longer give their children a tax-free amount which they can use to buy a home. Referred to in Dutch as a jubelton, the amount had already been reduced to almost 29,000 euros and is now being eliminated altogether.
The much-debated environmental law will come into effect from January 1. The enormous law bundles many laws, rules, and regulations regarding the physical environment. In addition, the law provides a single digital registration point for applying for permits and starting projects. “The law mainly represents a new way of thinking and doing in area development," said Housing and Spatial Planning Minister Hugo de Jonge in March. "Instead of approaching issues about the physical environment per sector, the Environmental Act offers the opportunity to do our work more integrated and with more coherence. This area-oriented, integrated approach is essential for the major challenges we face in the areas of housing construction, sustainability of energy, infrastructure, agriculture and nature.”
Justice and Security
Doxing, defined as the deliberate distribution of someone's personal information for intimidation, will become a criminal offense. Doxing often targets journalists, politicians, judges, police officers, or emergency responders and can include sharing someone's address or phone number. The new law will apply to the doxing of individuals irrespective of their profession. There is a penalty of up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 22,500 euros.
Children can be given the last names of both their father and mother. This option is also available for the eldest child in a family born after January 1, 2016. If the parents do not choose themselves, the child will inherit the mother's last name if the parents are unmarried or are not registered partners. If the parents are married or registered partners, the child will receive the father's last name.
Mayors will have increased power to close residences in cases of serious violence, such as shootings or explosions, to uphold public order. While they previously had the authority to shut down homes for misconduct by residents, this was sometimes insufficient. Now, mayors can also close properties when public order is notably disturbed or threatened. They can also terminate rental agreements without court involvement and expropriate properties closed to maintain public order.
Court fees will be lowered by 13.5 percent. These fees are the costs individuals incur to bring a case to court or defend themselves before a judge.
Creditors can charge more interest when someone falls behind in payments. The statutory interest rate will increase from 6 to 7 percent.
People disadvantaged by lawful government decisions will be entitled to compensation, known as nadeelcompensatie, for damages incurred.
Fines for minor traffic violations will increase by 10 percent.
Measures against animal abuse and neglect will become harsher. This includes broader authority to shut down businesses where animal welfare is at risk and to impose bans on keeping animals.
The legal maximum jail sentence for animal abuse and neglect will be raised to five years.
Infrastructure and Science
Disposable plastic cups and containers will be banned in food and drink establishments, and at events, offices, institutions, associations, and sports clubs. The rule applies to cups and containers which are either entirely or partially made of plastic. The rules will not be strictly enforced for the time being, and their is wide opposition among parliamentarians in the Tweede Kamer.
Education
Middle school students will not be allowed to take their smartphones into class, though this is a rule change that schools have agreed to implement voluntarily. The ban is not formally written in law, and exemptions will be made in situations where mobile devices add more value to a classroom.
Students paying off their student loans, including those who were unable to obtain study grants in recent years, will likely see a sharp increase in the interest rate they pay. Interest will rise from 0.46 percent to 2.56 percent from January 1. Not every former student will immediately have to deal with this five-fold increase. The interest on student loans is permanently fixed for a period of five years, and those who were lucky with their timing will continue to pay the lower rate for that period.