Dutch prostitutes are demanding the same retirement tax benefits as professional footballers because of the “hard physical work” they do, according to news reports.

The campaign to secure better retirement rights is being run by Freya, a company that wants to run a number of brothels in the central Dutch city of Utrecht.

Wil Post, a lawyer for Freya told Dutch newspaper Volkskrant on Tuesday that “Footballers and prostitutes both do a difficult physical job that they cannot do their whole life. Therefore, they would like to be able to save as much as they can.”

Prostitution has been legal and regulated in the Netherlands since 2000, provided that there is no coercion, with businesses like Freya offering prostitutes, who qualify for unemployment benefits and a state pension in the Netherlands, a contract and salary.

“Men prefer young women: there always comes an age when prostitutes no longer get any work,” the lawyer said, adding: “it can take a prostitute more than 10 years to stop working because she’s trapped as she can’t save money.”

Post has asked the Dutch tax authorities for Freya’s employees to enjoy the same pension perks as footballers who can put up to 5,000 euros (almost MK 3 150 000) a month into a tax-free pension pot.

So far, the Dutch authorities have refused to comment on the request.