Some 20 billion euros still outstanding from tax services: report

About 20 billion euros is still outstanding from the Tax Authorities, according to data newspaper AD obtained by appealing to the Freedom of Information Act. Some 4.6 billion euros of that owed money dates from 2011 or earlier. The Tax Authorities is uncertain about whether they will ever be able to collect some 6 billion euros of that money, AD reports.

On November 1st of this year a total of 6.4 million individuals and businesses owed the Tax Authorities money. All in all they still have to pay 19.407 billion euros. The highest outstanding amount from a single tax payer is 150 million euros, the lowest amount is 25 cents.

The Tax Authorities is confident that they can collect nearly 70 percent of that amount without problems. The remaining 30 percent, some 6 billion euros, is more problematic. Of that amount, the Tax Authorities believe they can collect 3.3 billion euros using coercive means, such as seizing property or claiming money directly from the taxpayers salary. Another 1.36 billion euros is outstanding from people unable to pay anything at this time. This group was placed under "dynamic monitoring", where the Tax Office will collect the money if the tax payers get some money from, for example, inheritance or selling a car.

Some 1.5 billion euros will probably have to be written off, according to the Tax Authorities. This is because the taxpayers in question are bankrupt or in debt restructuring. "An important part of these outstanding amounts will ultimately not be collectible", a spokesperson said.

Opposition parties SP and CDA called it "alarmingly outstanding amounts with very large totals", AD reports. The general association of tax officers are worried that the outstanding amounts will only increase after the Tax Authorities reorganization in 2020, when only about 170 of the current 315 tax officers will remain.