Dutch Daily News » utrecht university

Utrecht University is the best university in the Netherlands

Dutch Daily News — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:51:48 +0000

Utrecht University ranks once again the best of all Dutch universities in the annual “Academic Ranking of World Universities”, by the University of Shanghai.

Globally, Utrecht University ranks fiftieth in the prestigious ranking list, at European level, the university is the eleventh best.

Researchers from Shanghai evaluate more than a thousand universities annually, on issues such as the quantity of publications in scientific journals and awards.

The second Dutch university is that of Leiden, which is no. 70 in the list. The list is topped by three U.S. universities: Harvard, Berkeley and Stanford.

Alcohol good for women’s heart

Dutch Daily News — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 08:23:29 +0000

Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol, may lower the risk of heart disease for women with high blood pressure.

Moderate drinking may lengthen your life, while too much may shorten it, Dutch researchers from the Julius Centre of Utrecht University report. Their conclusion is based on data from a study involving more 10,530 Dutch women.

A consumption of one to seven glasses of alcohol per week decreased the risk of heart problems by eight percent and the risk of stroke by as much as 35 percent compared to non-drinkers. In other words, a little alcohol is also healthy for women.

The study consisted of 10,530 Dutch women from 20 to 70 years. They were part of the so-called EPIC study, an international investigation into the relationship between diet and cancer. Nearly ten years they were monitored by scientists.

Photo by gematrium

Netherlands is a tax haven for multinationals

Dutch Daily News — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:32:39 +0000

Dutch multinationals pay barely any tax on their profits in the Netherlands. The Dutch treasury is missing out on 16 billion euros of corporate taxes a year – or 2,200 euros per capita.

The figures emerge from a study by Utrecht University commissioned by the television documentary programme Zembla. The team behind the study was headed by tax law professor Geerten Michielse, who also works for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. He told RNW that the United States was right to describe the Netherlands as a tax haven in May this year – an assertion which the White House subsequently withdrew following Dutch finance ministry protests.

Multinationals such as Boeing, US Steel and Walt Disney all have Dutch letter-box companies to avoid paying tax in the United States. On paper, US companies make 13 percent of their profits in the Netherlands. The study found that while multinationals are officially liable to pay 25.5 percent in corporate tax, in reality loopholes in the tax law allow them to get away with paying no more than six or seven percent.

Tax officials have discussed the problem several times, but up to now have not intervened. The fear that Dutch multinationals with higher tax burden shift to other countries is unjustified. As long as profits are taxed, companies will come up with new constructions for profit tax evasion.

source: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Photo by: Andrew