Dutch Tax Authority receive a record 10.5 million income tax returns before May deadline

The Dutch Tax Authority received a record number of income tax returns in March and April. Around 10.5 million private individuals and entrepreneurs filed income tax returns during these months. Last year, the tax authority received 10.3 million tax returns before May 1.

The Dutch Tax Authority has said that the increase is because more people were given an invitation to file a tax return. The organization has also brought extra attention to the subject amongst young people, a spokesperson said.

Anyone who did not fill in their info before May 1 can request a deferral. The Dutch Tax Authority received almost 3.2 million deferral requests. Most of these came from tax advisors, who often file income tax returns for business owners.

According to the tax authority, the period before the May 1 deadline went “without any notable issues.” Over 51,500 appointments were made with requests for help regarding the income tax return, which is 6,800 more than last year.

The organization tried to make the different types of help known to people. One example was a tax office bus which drove to several places throughout the country and the authority also targeted “specific target groups” with campaigns.

The Dutch Tax Authority answered over 7,000 questions about the income tax returns on social media. Staff members of the Tax Telephone held just under 490,000 conversations about the subject.