Dutch set to raise taxes on juice, cola & bottled water

Consumers in the Netherlands can expect to soon pay more for juice, soft drinks and bottled water. The tax on these items will increase by 30 million euros, an increase of 15 percent compared to last year, according to the latest budget leak in the hands of RTL Nieuws. The tax on water and juice will be increased more to bring them equal to the higher taxes on colas and other soft drinks. According to RTL, this money is needed to close a 90 million euros gap in the budget created by the expansion of the gift exemption. Currently parents can give their kids up to 52 thousand euros tax free, that will be increased to 100 thousand euros. Exactly by how much the price on cola, juice and bottled water will increase will be revealed on Prinsjesdag, Budget Day.