The following can be told about this. The day-to-day decisions within an NV are made by an appointed Board. This is also referred to as the management. Contrary to what many people think of the NV as a company, the board does not own the NV. It does, however, have the power to act, as the Board is paid a salary to do so. If decisions have to be made, a meeting is held every so often. That is the shareholders’ meeting, which is extremely important. What can you do at this meeting? As a shareholder, you can obtain information about certain matters at this meeting and, for example, you can speak out if there is dissatisfaction. This meeting takes place at least once a year. There are other bodies, such as the supervisory board of the NV as a company. These in turn have their own powers.

NV as a company: what about liability?

• If you have entered into an overweight contract and you knew in advance that the NV could not perform

• If you don’t let the tax authorities know in time that the taxes can’t be paid

• If there is mismanagement, bankruptcy follows mismanagement

That is also important to know. Finally the pros and cons. The advantages of the NV as a company are that the shares are freely transferable and anonymous. In addition, you are generally not responsible for the company’s debts. There is a low profit tax and the management does not have to own any shares. They can therefore be chosen on the basis of good corporate qualities. Against the advantages, there are of course also disadvantages. Disadvantages include that a notarial deed is required for the incorporation and you must contribute a minimum amount in order to set up the NV as a company. Annual documents are also important and must be submitted. In addition: the larger your company becomes, the more requirements will follow.