Hartwig Welbers Self-disclosure allows tax evaders to avoid prosecution by coming forward of their own volition and paying the tax evaded. In principle, this opportunity is to be retained, although many believe that the current rules need to be tightened. The Ministry of Finance has now published draft amending legislation to that end. This subject is relevant to corporates in respect of their mass data filings of monthly VAT and payroll withholding. Because it is not easy for the authorities to distinguish between an error and a wilful attempt to defraud, there is a growing tendency to see corrected returns as failed self-disclosures (because they often cannot meet all the formal requirements) and to open criminal proceedings. The new ministerial draft now published tackles this issue by re-introducing partial self-disclosure for monthly or quarterly VAT or payroll withholding tax returns. A corrected return will not fail in respect of the corrections.
October 30 2014
