The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights (CRM) has so far received 35 reports of discrimination by the tax authorities. After the damning benefits report of the Van Dam committee, the help of the CRM was called in.
About eleven people have asked for a judgment in a case. With such a request “the CRM will deal with the case in a public hearing and decide whether there has been discrimination”, State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen (Allowances) reports to the Lower House.
In response to the devastating indexation report of the Van Dam Committee, the cabinet called in the assistance of the Board. Not only did the Tax and Customs Administration go way too far in the hunt for fraudsters, but people with a non-Dutch nationality were extra strictly checked. In addition, some duped parents were confronted with discriminatory comments from tax authorities.
“The Board will start processing the reports and requests in the course of February. This will initially be done by parents who have made a report / request without asking for further information,” Van Huffelen writes in a statement. progress report on the childcare allowance. Because the CRM has to handle the requests and reports, 300,000 euros per year will be allocated over the next two years to hire more people.
The outgoing State Secretary tries to inform as many victims as possible that they can report to the CRM. The information campaign for benefit parents will specifically address discrimination. Van Huffelen is also looking for a way to systematically “search through files of benefit claimants for possible indications of discriminatory use of nationality”. In this way she hopes to be able to see in which cases discrimination played a role.
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