Another scandal in the tax office of the Netherlands. After the scam with returns for the kindergarten and the "Bulgarian scandal", which we wrote about earlier, it became known that the tax and customs services labeled people as potential fraudsters.
This time, the cause for concern was the dispatch of 60 thousand letters of apology for the fact that taxpayers were included in the list of possible fraudsters. From the letters, the addressees learned that due to suspicion of illegal actions, their names were included in this “black list”.
What threatens to be included in such a list?
In simple words, then you will be treated worse at the state level: for example, your complaints may not be considered, requests for payment by installments or for debtor recovery will be rejected. The question also remains open as to who else had access to this data - perhaps the IND or a banking organization.
The IRS said the list had already been destroyed. At the same time, at the moment it has already been proven that it existed from 2012 to 2020, but most likely for a longer time, since journalistic investigations have been finding data since 2006.
What if you received such a letter from the fiscal service?
Firstly, this does not mean that you are a priori a swindler for the tax and customs service. The “black list” included the data of potential violators, who are being looked at more carefully.
The investigation into this case will continue until July, and we will learn new facts. In the meantime, information on the exact list of data that was collected and stored by the tax authorities remains closed. If, for example, we are talking about nationality or health status, then they did not have the right to register them as private data.
Based on the results of the investigation, we expect massive court cases of discrimination, as well as revisions of old cases that could have been rejected on the basis of the “black list”.
We recommend that people who have received letters of apology from the tax office keep them. Perhaps they can help you sort out some problems with the IRS or become evidence in court.
We will continue to monitor the situation and will try to keep you updated.
Publication Date: 18.05.2021
