The four styles
| Style | Where | The mechanics |
|---|---|---|
| Deemed return | Netherlands (box 3) | 36% on a notional yield above €59,357 per person — the levy targets assumed income rather than the stock itself |
| True wealth tax | Switzerland, Spain, Norway | Cantonal rates on net wealth; patrimonio plus the solidarity layer; ~1.1% at the Norwegian top |
| Real-estate-only | France (IFI) | Property wealth above the threshold; financial assets exempt |
| None | Germany, Belgium, most of the EU | Wealth untaxed as stock; income and gains carry the load |
Reviewed 18 August 2026.
The founder’s reading
For entrepreneurs the decisive line: box 2 assets stand outside box 3 — the BV and everything inside it meet tax on actual distributions at 24.5%, on your calendar, while box 3 covers the private sleeve above the allowance. That split is why Norwegian and Swiss founders read the Dutch map with interest: the Norwegian case and the Swiss duel, where yearly paper-value taxation meets its alternative.
Designing the private sleeve
The pattern: working capital and investments inside the structure under the exemption, the private layer sized deliberately around the €59,357-per-person allowance, and property read against its own rules — the wider architecture: the holding layer.