After Unilever, which had chosen London as its headquarters last month, Shell hinted at the FD last weekend about a possible relocation to the head office of the United Kingdom. Anglo-Dutch software group RELX made that choice two years ago. For Shell, the main pain point would be that the dividend tax was abolished.

In some British newspapers, news about Shell and Unilever was celebrated as a victory – thanks The rest proved to be wrong In express and London may take heart from Unilever’s decision In D. Financial Times.

What about the commercial climate in the Netherlands?

With a leg in the uk

“We push the border head offices with annoying rhetoric and fiscal measures that put us at a disadvantage. Other countries are getting sucked into those companies,” says a lot from the employer association VNO-NCW Hans de Boer.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs only wants to say the following: “A good business climate for companies operating internationally, as Shell, is of great importance to the Dutch economy. The government takes the signs of this seriously. We Also discuss regularly. With many companies. “

But according to tax law professor Jan van de Strick, it doesn’t say much about the general business climate in the Netherlands. “Both Unilever and Shell have already set their feet in the United Kingdom. Then you have to face the problem of which DNA you have, Dutch or British. For other companies in the Netherlands, I need to stay in our tax. There are no major disruptions in the system. Here. “

Haram-Jan de Cluiver, a professor of corporate law, does not see this as a precursor. “Shell is already an English company, with a head office in the Netherlands. It was different in Unilever, they have both a British and Dutch company. Originally it comes down to the same thing: they are partially Are British. Then it is clear., That once the question arises, which country will you choose. “