Anneke Bruinsma has been chronically ill for more than thirty years. She stayed on her feet thanks to homeopathic medicines that she was allowed to deduct from her taxes. But now the Tax Authorities have put an end to this and are confronting her with recoveries of more than 16,000 euros. “It eats me up.”
She finds it exciting, an interview. Because Bruinsma (57) is not the type to go public, let alone with personal problems. Besides being “very sweet”, she found it quite difficult that her tax advisor wanted to set up a donation campaign (see box). Because then your story will be out on the street. “I’d rather crawl under a rock, I’m so tired. But I think I’m not the only one, that’s why this story needs to be told,” says the woman from Buitenpost.
She has a severe form of endometriosis, a condition in which the mucous membrane is outside the uterus. The most common complaints are (extreme) menstrual pain, abdominal and back pain. “It actually started at a young age, when I was still at school. I could just make it to a lesson and then had to run to the toilet because of heavy bleeding.” She had to take the pill, the doctor said. The menstruation did indeed become less, but it made Anneke very tired. And, even more seriously, she went through menopause at an early age and suffered from osteoporosis when she was not yet thirty. “In retrospect, the pill was not good for me.”
Intermediary
At that time, she was still working full-time as an intermediary at an employment agency in Drachten. But physically things were getting worse and worse. “I felt lousy, but I preferred not to call in sick.” She continued steadfastly, and also worked a lot of overtime. “Work, eat and sleep. I had no energy for anything else. I committed exploitation of my body.”
In 2000 she reported sick, but it was no longer possible. She didn’t want to be disapproved. “Then you get a spot, I was still so young.” She tried to return on a therapeutic basis, but that failed. In 2001 she was finally rejected, at the age of 34. “The age at which others start families, make a career. And then you sit at home, exhausted.” She spent most of the days sleeping and ate with her parents in the evening.
She had little benefit from regular medical care. “All the doctors did was monitor me and fill me with medication, sometimes with serious side effects. This was mainly about symptom control. The causes of my complaints were not addressed.” An expensive injection against osteoporosis had so many side effects that it damaged her back. “That never worked out again.”
No trips
Her then GP introduced her to homeopathy. She came into contact with a registered homeopathic doctor in Zeist who prescribed her, among other things, hormone therapy on a homeopathic basis, vitamins and minerals. Combined with a minimum of regular medications, this provided some relief. The disadvantage was that the homeopathic remedies were not covered by her health insurance.
The several thousand euros per year took a big bite out of her disability benefits. “But I live very frugally, I don’t go on trips and I can keep my accounts straight. And I was allowed to deduct the healthcare costs on my tax return. With the annual tax refund I was just able to survive financially.”
This continued until she received an audit from the Tax Authorities in September 2022. “I was asked to make copies of all invoices from 2021. No problem, I had nothing to hide.” Bruinsma provided the requested information, but the Tax Authorities wanted more. “I had to provide medical data. I was shocked, they made me feel like I wasn’t being honest.”
Questioned everything
She provided everything that was requested: medical records, treatment plans, reports from specialists. But it was still not good for the tax authorities. “Everything was questioned. Was that homeopathic doctor actually BIG registered? So yes. And that treatment plan, what did it really mean?” A back/seat cushion costing 20 euros, which she greatly benefited from, was not seen as ‘medically necessary’.
The inspector also wanted to check whether she could still provide all those invoices in the three previous years. “But I had already received the final tax assessments for those years, so I had already gotten rid of a lot of papers.” It was a hell of a job to collect everything. “But it was correct down to the cent. They then complained to the tax authorities that I sent such thick envelopes.” Another rejection followed. “Everything was swept off the table.” Bruinsma was near despair. “I was not listened to at all. I felt ignored and treated disrespectfully. The woman said things to me like: I sometimes take a vitamin C treatment in the winter, but I don’t take that off either.”
At the beginning of 2023, the inspector rigorously canceled her healthcare deduction for all tax years from 2018. All previous refunds were reclaimed: an amount of more than 16,000 euros in total. The main argument: the Tax Authorities did not see the treatment plans of the homeopathic doctor as a prescription by that doctor within the meaning of the Tax Act.
And because her aggregate income was higher due to the wrongly granted deduction, according to the Tax Authorities she has also received too much healthcare allowance all these years. “So I have to partly pay that back.”
Not enough evidence
She realized that she needed help and turned to tax advisor Andries Tóth in Âldtsjerk. “I hoped that he could make it clear that I had not made any mistakes.” Tóth did his best, but the detailed objection he submitted to the tax authorities was rejected.
Since then, Bruinsma has been involved in a grueling battle with the tax authorities. “The last tax bill came just before Christmas. I didn’t sleep. Now I receive blue envelopes almost every day: you have to pay an amount. So compelling.” It eats her up, she says. “My heart rate immediately increased. Where should I get the money from? I don’t dare, I can’t do anything, I’m tired.”
With benefits, her one-person household was already not a big deal. “And I don’t want to complain, I was always able to make ends meet, but with this I can no longer do it.” Because the ‘pot’ that she had for the necessary medicines thanks to the tax refund has now also been stopped in one go. She had no financial reserves. So she fills one hole with another. When her boiler broke, she bought out her funeral insurance so she could buy a new one. She had to sell her computer and printer to pay bills, so she cuts back where she can. She is not eligible for additional benefits.
Proceedings in court
The conflict with the tax authorities costs her mountains of energy, energy that she actually does not have. “I was already in poor health and now I try to keep all the balls in the air,” she says emotionally.
Her tax advisor started proceedings in court at the beginning of February against the tax authorities’ attitude. That gives a glimmer of hope, although she expects little from it. “Being right and being proven right are two different things, I know from experience,” says Bruinsma.
Like many victims in the Benefits Affair, Bruinsma also started to doubt himself at a certain point. “I was raised in such a way that you always look first at your own part in a conflict. Did I make a mistake?” She studied the rules again and again. These state that you may deduct costs for medicines that have been prescribed by a doctor qualified according to Dutch standards. These can also be homeopathic medicines. Exactly her situation.
Back to Tóth’s donation campaign, which quite overwhelmed Bruinsma. “I prefer to solve my problems myself. You don’t air your dirty laundry, that’s what we learned at home. I have never felt the need to come out, but I no longer have a choice.”
Tax advisor: I have not experienced such a heartless attitude from the Tax Authorities in forty years
Never before has tax advisor Andries Tóth (65) from Âldtsjerk started a donation campaign for one of his clients. But now he had no choice, he thought. “It is in danger of being crushed by the fiscal, bureaucratic system.”
Tóth states that the Tax Authorities in this case adopts a very formalistic and heartless attitude. “There is absolutely no question of any reasonableness and fairness on the part of the government. In the forty years that I have been active as a tax advisor, I have never experienced such a callous attitude from the Tax Authorities.”
Parallel with Benefits Scandal
He draws a parallel with the tax authorities’ working methods surrounding the Benefits Scandal, in which thousands of parents were wrongly suspected of fraud with childcare benefits. “A ruthless implementation based on the strictest possible interpretation of the legal rules.”
According to Tóth, the deduction was canceled on unjustified grounds. “The Tax Authorities use a far too strict interpretation of the Tax Act. The concept of ‘prescription by a doctor’ is not further defined.”
On behalf of Bruinsma, he filed an appeal on February 1 against the rejection of the objection (against the recovery). ,, The judge will now have to rule on this legal difference of opinion. But many Courts have quite easily ruled in favor of the tax authorities in these allowance issues in recent years. There is therefore a very good chance that the judges who will judge Anneke’s case will also remain safely on the side of the Tax Authorities.” Hence the donation campaign, on GoFundMe.
Tax authorities response
“The Tax Authorities have a legal obligation of confidentiality. This means that we cannot comment on individual situations. “I can tell you that behind the scenes we are investigating whether the correct procedures have been followed,” the spokesperson said Adrian Ros.