BRUSSELS – Belgium’s Department of Tax Inspection is to get a third more personnel in order to facilitate the fight against fraud.

By 2007, the special tax inspection unit will be increasing its number of inspectors from 450 to 580.

“We will be focusing on preventative operations discouraging fiscal fraud, and will be working to dismantle the mechanisms which enable people to evade paying their taxes,” said special tax inspection department director, Ghislain Vandercapellen.

The increase in tax inspectors came about as part of a tit-for-tat agreement which saw the Flemish socialist party asking for more stringent control of fiscal fraud in return for the acceptance of Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt’s proposed tax amnesty.

Under the proposal, those who have ‘black’ or undeclared money in foreign bank accounts, will benefit from a fiscal amnesty if they agree to bring their money back to Belgium. 

According to some estimates, the fight against fiscal fraud and a more efficient tax collection will reap some EUR 300 million for the treasury.    

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Subject: Belgian news