In the toy department of the Supra Bazar in Lievegem, the children determine the course. “Are we going to take a look at the Lego now?” “Can I just go to the Playstations?”, Some children navigate their obedient parents. Norbert waits patiently in the central corridor. He is glad that he has the grandchildren Kathalina and Julie, twins, to visit again during the Easter leave. “The weather is bad, so it was not possible to go to the playground. What else can you do? ”
In Supra Bazar you can dream all year round to the seasons that have already passed, or those that are yet to come. Judging from the collection of carnival clothes, it still seems February, one area further, the inflatable swimming pools and the bright red merchandising of the Red Devils are already dreaming of summer.
Also with the new regulations, which require visitors to choose a time slot online, there is a pleasant crowd. “Please stick to half an hour of shopping time”, sounds through the speakers. Kim (52) thinks the online registration system is a good thing. “Otherwise I will be walking around here for far too long. It’s such a great store, you can find everything here. ”
There is no exaggeration in that. From interior decoration to bicycles, clothes or LPs: if you need something, you can count on finding it in the Supra Bazar. The store looks like a Dreamland, a Fnac, a Brico and a Decathlon in one, and that versatility makes it an incredibly popular store among local residents.
Tax fraud
Only it seems that Supra Bazar did not extend the store’s slogan, ‘You can find everything there’, into his tax returns. There is a judicial investigation into the owners Geert and Nadine Vanhalst for money laundering, tax fraud and VAT fraud regarding inheritance tax. That made The standard known.
It was their father, the late Marcel Vanhalst, who left them with a great fortune. The former flax farmer Vanhalst started a Stock Américain out of the ground in 1964. But instead of selling leftover military equipment from World War II for next to nothing, he opted for new products. The Stock Américain became the Supra Bazar and over the years five branches were established: Gullegem, Harelbeke, Hulste, Lievegem and Tielt. In the 80s his son Geert Vanhalst took over the business, his sister Nadine would help build the name Supra Bazar from the 90s into the powerful retail chain it is today.
Power of 250 million
But now the tax authorities have found out that the owners’ assets – a total of 250 million – do not match the tax returns. The tax authorities tracked down the assets by comparing information received from other countries in the context of ‘common reporting standards’ (CRS) with what is known about the family for tax purposes in Belgium.
“It is not without reason that these CRS regulations were introduced in 2017,” says professor of tax law Michel Maus (VUB). “In the past, a lot of fraud remained under the radar. The fact that the tax authorities of a hundred countries now automatically exchange data means that the tax authorities are quicker to ask questions. This family will certainly not be the last to be affected. ”
Black capital
Due to the size of the file, the Special Tax Inspectorate (BBI) entrusted the management of the file to the public prosecutor’s office, which had an investigating judge appointed. Investigators not only traced money flows to Luxembourg, but also to Malta, the Virgin Islands and Mauritius.
According to The standard Nadine and Geert Vanhalst were nevertheless advised in 2016 to make use of the amnesty law to regularize their black capital, if they had paid 35 percent once. Now they are faced with an assessment of 60 percent to possibly 100 percent, making it one of the largest tax files ever.
Maus, however, doubts whether it will come to that. “If things had happened that were not kosher, it would only have been natural that they would have made use of that amnesty law. Of course they also knew that information from abroad would be shared with the Belgian tax authorities. Or then you would expect them to have fled to countries that are not yet compliant with the CRS regulations. That none of their advisers would have thought of that seems very naive to me. ”
The crucial question in this file is what the family has earned abroad and what in Belgium. And whether the money that was earned abroad was then declared. “There is nothing wrong with a company in Luxembourg,” says Maus. “But then you have to be able to demonstrate that it was effectively managed in Luxembourg. Then you already have to get drink receipts and attendance lists. Let ten lawyers judge that, and you get eleven different answers. ”
Supra Bazar did not want to anticipate the facts. “We do not want to conduct the process through the media, but have every confidence in a successful outcome,” said the spokesman.
Their customers hope the same. “A loss for the region”, according to Kim. “Should the Supra Bazar disappear, I would have to go to different stores to buy the same thing.”
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