Open Letter to Parliament: A Deal is A Deal

By MessageBird CEO Robert Vis & COO Mayke Nagtegaal

The opportunity couldn’t be greater and the stakes couldn’t be higher: Amsterdam, and the Netherlands, are on the brink of an unprecedented opportunity to become the world’s premier tech powerhouse. But our government is about to botch it.

Amsterdam is one of the most livable, affordable, progressive and diverse cities in Europe. But that’s not enough to win the international talent war. Given how tight the global labor market is, we need to pull out all the stops to recruit and attract the brightest minds to the Netherlands. These expats aren’t taking away jobs. They’re imparting their knowledge and sharing their specialized skills to energize and expand our emerging tech ecosystem. With just two out of 10 Dutch students pursuing technical studies, we have to go beyond borders to inspire the next generation of Dutch workers to pursue jobs in tech.

It’s not just about education. It’s about the economy. With 50,000 expats employed in the Netherlands, the business benefits of bolstering our expat workforce extend far beyond the tech sector. With every restaurant, shop and small business they patronize, they contribute to our local economy every day.

Right now, the world’s leading tech hubs are at an inflection point. San Francisco tech workers are discouraged and disenchanted with the rampant issues they encounter on a daily basis — from a widening rift between rich and poor, the sky-high cost of living, and a work week that seemingly never ends. These highly skilled workers are looking for an alternative — where the cost of living is low, and the quality of life is high. And it’s not just Silicon Valley. With Brexit looming, top tech firms in the UK are also quietly looking to move their global operations to Amsterdam.

The time is now for the Netherlands to double down on policy to reinforce our reputation as a magnet for tech talent and innovation. Instead, we’re about to take a step backward — by changing the 30% tax incentive for expats from eight to five years. Even worse, the change wouldn’t just be applied to new workers, but those who have already been living, working and contributing to our local economy here for years — risking our international business reputation as a place that promises one thing to workers, but does another.

A deal’s a deal, Parliament. Your move.