Max Verstappen attacked hard in Jinek: ‘He is a profiteer!’

Max Verstappen was attacked hard last night in Eva Jinek’s talk show. She gave Rutger Bregman ample space to spit his bile about the ‘profiting’ sports hero.

© RTL

Rutger Bregman is very annoyed by it: Max Verstappen has enjoyed all public services in Belgium and the Netherlands throughout his youth, but has lived all his adult life in Monaco where he does not pay a penny of tax. As a result, our country has already lost 200 million euros in tax, according to the opinion maker.

Max in Monaco

Where Max is normally only applauded in the Dutch media, Eva Jinek is now protesting. The presenter gave Rutger extensive space last night to portray Max as a tax-evading profiteer. To begin with, he points to the fact that the racing driver went to publicly funded schools.

Rutger: “He benefited from that. And a day after he turned 18, he left for Monaco, a notorious tax haven where you pay 0 percent tax. This is really a big mountain where the rich and famous sit and look down on the common people, the kindergarten teachers and the teachers who do pay taxes and comply.”

‘a bit sad’

It is legal but immoral, says Rutger. He compares it to the richest member of the gym who doesn’t pay dues. “Isn’t that a bit sad? And then it is especially strange if you start running around with the flag of that sports club.”

Table guest Beau van Erven Dorens agrees with Rutger. “I think it’s morally questionable, because he’s just a Dutchman and he could do something, but you can’t do anything about it. It is wishful thinking.”

Popular politician Pieter Omtzigt: “I think it’s time we put some pressure on Monaco.”

And hostess Eva Jinek: “I agree with you. That is why my parents no longer live in America, but in the Netherlands.”

What does Max say?

Max’s manager has given a written response to Jinek. “We pay proper tax on the sports performances we deliver in the Netherlands, such as the income he earns during the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. Why should we pay tax on foreign income? It would be strange if you paid twice.”

These are the international rules, says the Max manager. “One can find something moral about everything, in the end it’s just the legal and fiscal (international) legislation and we adhere to that in all shapes and sizes.”

Rutger then: “I think it’s a nice reaction from Max’s PR officer, but that is of course nonsense. That might be a little bit of corporate tax they pay on things that get sold there, but that’s relatively trivial compared to that huge pot that comes in. He is not in Monaco for nothing.”

‘Very sour!’

What do the Jinek viewers think? It is striking how many people label Rutger as sour. “What a vinegar piss about Max Verstappen in Jinek”, tweets NPO Radio 2 DJ Jeroen van Inkel, for example.

Radio 538 star Dennis Ruyer: “Vinegar in pure form :).”

One Marco then: “All those football players who play outside the Netherlands don’t pay taxes here, do they? And why not stop paying child benefit abroad? Nice and easy scoring from that Rutger.”

And Philippe: “That Rutger is a goat wool sock that has become flesh and has to go hug trees somewhere.”

Fragment

The excerpt from Jinek:

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