The Netherlands continue to feature in the top-10 in the overall ranking in the World Economic Forum's 'Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009'. The USA tops the overall ranking, with Switzerland in second position, followed by Denmark, Sweden and Singapore. European economies continue to predominate in the top-10 with Finland, Germany and the Netherlands also featuring. The United Kingdom, whilst remaining very competitive, has dropped three places and is out of the top-10; primarily attributable to a weakening of its financial markets. The rankings in the report are calculated from both publicly available data and from the Executive Opinion Survey; a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum, together with its network of Partner Institutes (leading research institutes and business organisations) in the countries covered by the report.

Since international trade contributes significantly to the Dutch economy, the government works hard to maintain an attractive business climate for companies operating on an international level. It aims to facilitate business activities via the Netherlands through cooperation and flexibility, as well as streamlined and efficient customs procedures, making the Netherlands an ideal location for pan-European supplychain activities.

A cornucopia of interesting facts and figures has been compiled in this single, easy-to-use booklet entitled Holland Compared. Key economic data regarding the Dutch economy has been garnered from information supplied by renowned research institutes and is reported and placed in an international context alongside data for other countries, allowing the reader to place our performance in a true global perspective.

The World Economic Forum has launched its first Financial Development Report; a comprehensive analysis of financial systems and capital markets in 52 countries. The report explores the key drivers of financial system development and economic growth in developing and developed countries and serves as a tool with which countries can benchmark themselves and establish priorities for financial system improvement. The United States and the United Kingdom came out on top, as the Index looks beyond these countries’ current financial turmoil to discern fundamental strengths in their broader financial systems. The breadth of measures captured in the Index validate the collective strength of financial intermediaries in both countries, including banks, investment banks and insurance companies, as well as robust equity, bond and derivatives markets. Other countries in the Top 10 include Germany, Japan, Canada, France, Switzerland, Hong Kong SAR, Netherlands and Singapore.

The publisher Global Insight has created an overview of the top ten sectors in the Netherlands. The information is ranked by several indicators. The sectors covered are: business services; banking and finance; wholesale trade (excl. motor vehicles); construction; public administration and defence; health and social services; real estate; transportation services; food and beverages; retail trade.

Over half of the world population lives in delta and coastal communities. The Netherlands is a prime example of this fact.Water provides a means of life and attracts people. The downside is evident, these areas are flood prone, and too often suffer loss of life and huge economic losses due to catastrophic flood events. Putting emphasis on protecting these areas is extremely important.

It is fair to say that the Dutch realised the powerful connection between creativity and business a long time ago, probably earlier than most other countries. Business without creativity cannot be innovative and competitive, and creativity without business cannot prosper and become widely accessible for others to enjoy.

Real estate company, DTZ Zadelhoff, regularly publishes regional fact-sheets on countries for the office and industrial property markets. The reports include a number of important market indicators: number of jobs; development of the stock of property; take-up; availability; vacancy rates; rents; deals; and initial yields. In many respects 2007 was a record year, however, due to lower economic growth, rising inflation and turmoil in the financial markets, the prospects for 2008 are less optimistic for the office and property markets.

In total, this publication about Dutch Masters off ers an overview of 45 ingenious products and inventions, and maybe an even greater number of inspiring entrepreneurs, inventors and other brilliant minds, too. They all created or devised something that can benefit the Netherlands and the rest of the world as well. However, that is obviously not the end of the story.

This brochure is intended for Dutch-based companies that operate internationally and for international companies wishing to set up a business in the Netherlands. The brochure offers a general overview of the taxes to which companies in the Netherlands are liable.