Ruling party accused of tax violations through hidden foundations
The VVD violated Dutch tax laws by not publishing financial information about four foundations donating money to the party, according to newspaper NRC.
According to the newspaper, the VVD, led by Henry Keizer, is directly responsible for the foundations. All four have so-called ANBI status. This means they pay less tax, but have to give insight into the money they receive and donate.
In four cases the VVD did not do so. The Ivo Opstelten Foundation published no information since 2014. VVD foundations in Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht also failed to comply with the rules, according to the newspaper. When NRC pointed this out to them, the foundations in Amsterdam and Utrecht made the necessary information available.
According to NRC, the Tax Authorities retracted the ANBI status from a number of foundations over the past years for not complying to the rules. This can be done retroactively. Why this did not happen to the four VVD foundations, is unclear. The Tax Authorities can't comment on individual cases, but did tell the newspaper that supervision on these foundations is a "very labor-intensive process".
Henry Keizer recently temporarily stepped down as chairman of the VVD after an integrity investigation was launched into a seemingly shady business deal he made in 2014.
