News item | 2023-02-20 | 4:30 pm
The ICT of the Tax and Customs Administration is in better shape than a few years ago. Systems are being modernized, projects are being better executed and services to citizens and entrepreneurs have been expanded digitally; for example through the introduction of the abbreviated tax return. At the same time, priorities and stability in the full ICT planning are necessary to successfully complete the modernization. This approach creates more room for new ICT projects and major policy changes towards 2026. That is the message of the ICT letter from the Tax and Customs Administration that State Secretary Van Rij presented to the House today.
This letter also includes the Long-Term Portfolio (MJP) of the Tax and Customs Administration. The MJP outlines the ICT priorities for the coming years.
State Secretary Van Rij (Tax & Tax Authorities): “The Tax Authorities process 1 billion euros in tax revenue per day and many hundreds of millions of transactions per year. The vast majority of this is processed fully automatically by ICT systems that function almost without problems. We all take that for granted, but it’s not. The people of the Tax and Customs Administration are working very hard to ensure that all different taxes are collected and returned to the Netherlands through public facilities such as healthcare, education or infrastructure. In order to continue to perform our important task, we are modernizing the ICT. As a result, towards 2026 there is gradually more room for new ICT projects or major policy changes.”
Plan and improve
With this first MJP there is a clear ICT planning for the coming years with a clear prioritization of what must be done first and what will be done later. The MJP runs from 2023 to 2027 and indicates how much ICT time is needed to implement a project. For example, all assignments are included that are necessary to guarantee the continuity of the ICT systems and to implement the necessary innovations. All projects have been weighed up against each other and prioritised. Specific attention was paid to the technical status, the importance for citizens and businesses and the need for adjustment or modernisation. Simplifying and improving the services of the Tax and Customs Administration for all Dutch citizens via the various taxes is and will remain the starting point.
Peter Smink, DG Tax and Customs Administration: “We are modernizing our systems while the shop remains open. This means that we will have to make choices in the coming years. We look at what needs to be done first and what can be done later. ICT should no longer be secondary. We want to ensure that new policy fits in well with the existing (modernised) infrastructure. The Tax and Customs Administration wants to contribute to this and be and remain a discussion partner for policymakers and politicians.”
By modernizing ICT, new or amended legislation can be implemented more easily. Moreover, the technical debt – that is, ICT that is outdated and has a lower adaptability – is also being reduced. The technical debt in applications from the Tax and Customs Administration has been reduced since 2018 from 52 percent to 26 percent in 2022.
900 applications, 17 chains
The Tax and Customs Administration’s ICT consists of 900 applications and 17 chains, including the support provided to the Allowances and Customs Service. In addition, the Tax and Customs Administration carries out various (non-tax) tasks for other government organizations that also affect the ICT portfolio and the available number of hours. The budget of the ICT organization of the Tax and Customs Administration will amount to 860 million euros in 2023. Approximately 60 percent of this is intended for personnel expenditure. The remaining 40 percent is spent on matters such as ICT infrastructure, ICT licenses and outsourcing projects.
For 2023, we work with an available ICT time of 626,000 days for the Tax and Customs Administration (which was 535,000 in 2019). It is being investigated whether this can be further expanded. Annually, approximately two-thirds of the total available days are required for management and maintenance. This includes the activities for the data center of the Tax and Customs Administration, the print street, regular ICT management and monitoring digital security in the Security Operations Center. These activities are necessary so that citizens and businesses can continue to file declarations, these declarations can be processed and payments can be received or made.