The 700 veterans who receive compensation because they were injured by war violence do not have to pay tax on that amount. The cabinet wants to come up with a regulation by the end of this summer at the latest. This should put an end to the practice of the Tax and Customs Administration continuing to collect taxes, unless veterans themselves object.
State Secretary Marnix van Rij (Finance) takes action because of the account of Bosnia and Afghanistan veteran Ymo Hartzema (47). He told this site on Friday about his battle with the Tax Authorities. Due to an error in the system, the tax authorities continue to collect wage tax on his disability benefit, even though the Supreme Court has previously ruled that compensation cannot be regarded as wages and is tax-free.
Each year, approximately seven hundred injured veterans receive compensation through the so-called special disability increase (biv). The Ministry of Defense pays out a total of 4.5 million euros annually. For some veterans it is a few tens, but in the case of Hartzema it is about 16,000 euros per year.
Hartzema underwent 28 surgeries, has ptsd, lacks hearing on both sides and has damaged nerves. Nevertheless, the tax authorities automatically withhold a third of his compensation. He feels robbed, he said. “This benefit should be a warm blanket to ease life. But instead I spend hours on complicated objection procedures.”
Law may have changed
Hartzema did not give up and jumped into the breach, partly to help other veterans who are in the same boat. His signal has not left politicians untouched. According to State Secretary Van Rij, empathy is needed. “It should not be the case that a veteran has to report via the newspaper or a notice of objection,” he said on Tuesday afternoon to questions from the House of Representatives. “These people deserve better treatment.”
That is why Van Rij promises to come up with a ‘permanent solution’. If necessary, he will even change the law, he told VVD MP Folkert Idsinga. Van Rij will inform the House before the end of the summer at the latest. His intention is to ‘create a permanent arrangement to prevent a person receiving benefits from having to worry about tax treatment’.
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2023-06-27 18:14:24
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