The tax office collects this data

The digitalization makes it possible for the tax office to access more and more of us citizens’ data. It is no longer just major tax evasions that attract the attention of the tax office, but even small inconsistencies can quickly lead to further investigations by the tax office.

The tax office collects this data

More powerful hardware and software now enable the tax office to uncover even small discrepancies in tax returns. This means that the tax office not only has information about your current salary, but also the amount of any capital gains and payments into the Riester pension.

The data from the health insurance company, employment agency or parental allowance office is also sent to the tax office at regular intervals. Through these automatic data transfers, the majority of tax returns can be checked automatically and the tax assessment can be created automatically, which saves a lot of time.

Data transmission occurs both automatically and upon request from the tax office. While broadcasters, building authorities and life insurers also automatically transmit their data to the tax office, some data can also be requested by the tax authorities, such as the number of all domestic bank accounts.

This is how data exchange and protection works

Since 2007, every citizen in Germany has received a tax identification number, which remains valid for their entire life. This enables the state to allocate all income without any doubt. For this reason, many institutions, such as banks, require you to provide your own tax ID.

Of course, every citizen has the right to receive information about which personal data is transmitted to the tax office. However, anyone who does not agree to the collection of their data will have a difficult time, because legally the state’s desire to avoid tax evasion takes precedence over the data protection of the individual.

Editorial team finanzen.net