Prostitution was legalized in Amsterdam in 2000, which meant the government of the Netherlands was supposed to start treating sex workers as self-employed businesswomen. It hasn’t really worked out that way. According to BBC News, women who sell sex in the Amsterdam red-light district don’t get much respect from the government; but on the other hand, officials have traditionally treated prostitutes with a little more leniency on taxation than other workers, seeing them as victims of pimps and people traffickers.
Not anymore. The Dutch government is going door-to-door in the red-light district, looking to make sure all sex workers are registered and paying their 33 percent tax.
"It's not that nice. They treat you like you're nothing,” a working girl named Nina told the BBC. “It's true, many girls don't pay tax because they have pimps and nobody really wants to pay but if you want to live in Holland you have to pay taxes.” And she said she’s glad that women who have managed to avoid paying taxes will no longer be able to undercut the girls who have been playing by the rules.
Not anymore. The Dutch government is going door-to-door in the red-light district, looking to make sure all sex workers are registered and paying their 33 percent tax.
"It's not that nice. They treat you like you're nothing,” a working girl named Nina told the BBC. “It's true, many girls don't pay tax because they have pimps and nobody really wants to pay but if you want to live in Holland you have to pay taxes.” And she said she’s glad that women who have managed to avoid paying taxes will no longer be able to undercut the girls who have been playing by the rules.
33%?! Holy cow!