Brabant Ranks Second in Category Smaller City According to New KPMG Study

The Netherlands ánd BrabantStad have the lowest cost of doing business in Europe, according to the Competitive Alternatives 2010 study just released by KPMG. In the category smaller city BrabantStad ranks second after Manchester, with a minor difference of only 1.6 percent.

The Netherlands, which ranked seventh overall in the 2008 study, improved to third overall in the 2010 report. The cost of doing business in the Netherlands is 3.5 percent less than in the United States, and 1.7 percent less than in the United Kingdom. The full top 10 ranking, in order of cost effectiveness, is: Mexico, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, the UK, France, Italy, United States, Germany, and Japan. Also the offices leasing costs and effective income tax rates in the Netherlands are among the lowest in the world. And because of its favorable R&D tax incentive programs, the Netherlands shows a strong result in research and develop-ment activities.

Within several industry sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical devices, metal components, plastics and telecom, BrabantStad offers the lowest business cost levels in the Netherlands compared to Amsterdam, the Hague and Utrecht.

The biennial report studies 112 cities in 10 countries in terms of cost effectiveness, using the United States as a baseline. It measures 26 cost components, including labor, taxes, real estate and utilities. It also compares factors such as infrastructure, the regulatory climate, cost of living, and overall quality of life.