News item | 11-12-2024 | 12:00
The Tax Authorities are succeeding well in absorbing the expected outflow of (including pensionable) employees. The recruitment target for 2024 of 3,250 FTE has been comfortably achieved and there is also a good perspective for the coming years to accommodate the expected outflow of 11,500 FTE until 2028. State Secretary Van Oostenbruggen (Tax & Tax Authorities) writes this in the letter to Parliament about the Multi-year Strategy and the 2025 Annual Plan of the Tax Authorities. In addition to recruitment, successful efforts are also being made to retain and improve the professionalism of employees and to increase job satisfaction, for example by ensuring that experienced colleagues can work as trainers of young talent. This makes the Tax Authorities one of the most attractive employers in the Netherlands, according to labor surveys.
State Secretary Van Oostenbruggen: “The Tax Authorities are in much better shape than a few years ago. That is also my political message: we should recognize this more often and maintain this course together. This ensures that we can more easily implement policy and implement a new tax system in the long term. We are getting better and better. To maintain this, the room for major adjustments will remain limited in the coming years. In the meantime, we are not standing still and will continue to work on improvements that already benefit citizens and companies. Via the pre-completed tax return or assistance for starting entrepreneurs. And the extensive help for questions or problems: via counters and support points, video calling and via direct contact by telephone or postcard if you have forgotten something.”
Planning and personal assistance
The Tax Authorities are engaged in a multi-year process to prepare for the future, including in the areas of ICT and personnel. In the field of ICT, modernization is in full swing through the long-term planning of the Multi-Year Portfolio (MJP). For example, the new system for motor vehicle tax was completed this year and the old system for income tax (Cool:Gen) is being further phased out.
The chosen strategy is also paying off in terms of personnel. In addition to the well-achieved recruitment targets, vocational training for starting tax specialists at the Tax Authorities was started this year. This is a two-year post-academic program in which starters are trained for specialist tax work. This is also necessary because it is expected that approximately 30% fewer tax specialists will graduate in 2028 than now. Tax authorities’ employees are also increasingly positive about the organization as an employer and often recommend working at the agency to others.
The Tax Authorities are opting for an increasingly personal approach. Employees are further trained in early recognition of signals that may indicate tax problems. Eight hundred additional employees will be trained for this in 2025. In addition, the Tax Authorities continue to focus on improving the objection process. In 2025, companies can start submitting digital objections via accounting software. Various deductions are also explained more clearly.
Easier data sharing
In the coming years, the Tax Authorities will continue to focus on improving services and resolving bottlenecks. One of these points is the obstacle to sharing data with other government organizations about citizens who are faced with the threat of problematic debts. In many cases, the Tax Authorities are not allowed to do this due to privacy legislation and confidentiality obligations, even if citizens give permission for this. That is why we are looking at a legal basis for more proactive services. This also helps to bring citizens into the picture of municipal debt assistance in a timely manner. In 2025, the Tax Authorities will start a trial with eight municipalities in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.