De klank van perfectie De Stradivariusviool. Alleen de naam al klinkt als muziek in de oren, letterlijk én figuurlijk. Volgens kenners is het de heilige graal van de snaarinstrumenten. Honderden jaren oud, maar nog steeds onovertroffen. Vioolbouwers, wetenschappers en zelfverklaarde YouTube-experts hebben het geheim proberen te ontrafelen: het hout? De lak? De vorm? De
Oops, I did it (again) Everyone makes mistakes. Well, not us of course, but everyone else does… This last sentence shows how many people think. It can be hard to admit that you make mistakes, because doing so feels like an attack on our self-worth. However, we probably also all have learned that people
Playing Doctor (and the Art of Classification) Some court rulings are educational. Others are funny. And every now and then, one manages to be both. Perhaps unintentionally, but gloriously so. I recently came across a customs case concerning the importation of a doctor play set: a small white coat, a toy stethoscope, thermometer, syringe,
Sweat My tennis club is not happy with me. They recently discovered that I’m a VAT specialist, and now they’re blaming me for the increase in prices for tennis lessons. The reason? Some time ago, the tax authorities “clarified” the VAT rate for sport activities. The reduced rate applies to the use of sporting
The opinions of the Advocates General (AGs) at the Court of Justice of the European Union are often surprisingly entertaining. While the Court itself usually sticks to answering the precise legal questions at hand, AGs tend to take a broader view. They happily dive into the technical details, but also explore the social and
You may have seen these riddles that pop up on Twitter, LinkedIn, or other social media. Some are mildly interesting, some weird or no fun at all, and occasionally, they’re quite intriguing. This one keeps circulating—and no one seems to agree on the right answer: "What is the correct answer: 8 ÷ 2 (2
Some people meditate. Others walk in the woods. Some do yoga. And then there's people like me: I unwind by adding things to my online shopping cart. Not necessarily to buy them—sometimes I just leave them there, like a digital wishlist curated by a better-organized version of myself. But let’s be honest: occasionally I
I drive to work every day. I simply find it easier and more pleasant — and often quicker too. But sometimes, I’m at the mercy of public transport. Luckily, there’s a train station in the village where I live. The other day was one of those days: a train day. Everything was going smoothly
The VAT rules in the European Union are harmonized (on paper), and every EU Member State must implement these EU VAT rules into their national legislation. That sounds pretty orderly — like a well-oiled machine. Until, of course, someone disagrees about how the machine is supposed to work. That’s where the European Court of
Remember when you were a kid and people constantly asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” And how’s that working out for you? Do you already know? There was an ad on Dutch television that asks this question, and it always triggers something in me. Mostly mild confusion—and the sudden
