Dutch term – Belasting

7 March 2016 by Leave a Comment

Belasting means tax. The high tax burden in the Netherlands was (and still is) one of the reasons for people to emigrate. Before about 1810, different regions had different taxes. And even in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, there were taxes that we would not expect today. To name a few:

silver tax shield

Tax shield from Rotterdam, about 1800. Credits: Museum Rotterdam (public domain)

  • Real estate tax
  • Income tax
  • Value-added tax
  • Poll tax
  • Marriage tax
  • Burial tax
  • Hearth tax
  • Salt tax
  • Spice tax
  • Servant tax
  • Bicycle tax
  • Dog tax
  • Cow tax
  • Alcohol tax
  • Tobacco tax
  • Gas tax
  • Window tax
  • Step tax (tax on the number of steps in front of your front door)

Reading this list, it’s a miracle that any of us are left 🙂

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About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer in the Netherlands. She has a Master of Letters in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee, and holds the Certification of Genealogist and Qualified Genealogist credentials. Yvette served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and won excellence awards for her articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. Yvette has been doing genealogy for over 30 years. She helps people from across the world find their ancestors from the Netherlands and its former colonies, including New Netherland. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

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