PRESS RELEASE: “EVERYTHING LOST AND NOTHING RESTORED” - EMBARGO UNTIL MAY 7, 5 P.M.

‍

EVERYTHING LOST AND NOTHING RESTORED - GENEROUS RECOVERY FAR FROM BEING FOUND

ENTREPRENEURS HAVE BEEN UNFAIRLY TRIPLED AND DUPED BY THE ACTIONS OF THE TAX AUTHORITIES

On 7 May 2026, at the initiative of the House of Representatives, Inge van Dijk (CDA), a meeting took place at the Ministry of Finance, Korte Voorhout 7 in The Hague. The state secretaries of the Ministry of Finance Sandra Palmen (Allowances) and Eelco Eerenberg (Tax Administration) with Paula Bouwer, Stichting Herstel Onbekend Inrecht (which lost three companies) and representatives of the Interest Group for Duped Entrepreneurs Allowances/FSV/SMEs. Present are Alex de Wilde (who experienced bankruptcy in his employment agency), Gulsah Akpinar (who experienced bankruptcy with her childcare institution) and Joost Allein Richir (who worked as a lawyer at the tax authorities for more than 40 years and is now working for the foundation as a volunteer). According to the EU, entrepreneurs have “the right to the freedom to do business”. They have been deprived of this right.

The purpose of the conversation is to create 'awareness', to obtain guarantees to achieve appropriate damage repairs as an equal partner due to the lack of repair., and thereby restore trust. The suspicion of fraud occurred unlawfully and had far-reaching consequences.

The denial of the position of entrepreneurs who have been harmed by the actions of the Tax Administration has meant that they have not recovered 7 years later, are no longer able to do business, have major health problems, is therefore all the more distressing.

NO CIRCLING VULTURES - NO WASTE OF BILLIONS WITH CONSULTANTS, COMMISSIONS, INVESTIGATIONS, NO COMMERCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS, NO EXPENSIVE FREELANCERS - OWN DIRECTION

The entrepreneurs also want the search for the “causal relationship” to stop, now that it is clear that companies have been deliberately ruined. Recent WOO requests made by Paula Bouwer revealed a document 'The short slap in the face of the system fraudster'. This shows that the fraud hunt is focused on “phenomena” that entrepreneurs have come to see as systematic fraudsters, subjecting entire sectors to heavy-handed and bizarre investigations. For example, the 'population' of childcare institutions was managed in a 'population management tool'. The nationality of the parents of these institutions was grouped together in a state; the “deprivation profit” was calculated. Customers were deprived of their surcharges, so that the owner no longer had a right to exist. The tax authorities did not pay the agreed fee and the entrepreneur became 'out of business'. This pattern has been repeated in various sectors, such as tax service providers.

“TELL IT AS IT IS” - an earlier quote by Eelco Eerenburg when revealing the “Data Vlock Story” also fits here

Paula Bouwer wants to save society the costs of a comprehensive recovery operation. “Tell it as it is,” is her call. “Fix the damage. Take loss of face, collect, stop fraud and avoidance, to speak in tax metaphors, and change the culture within the tax authorities to a climate where entrepreneurship is seen as valuable and respected, racism and discrimination are stopped and punished, a zero tolerance policy is adopted, right and wrong thinking ends, abusing power stops and sabotaging our files is a thing of the past. Treat entrepreneurs with decency, play cards openly, act with an open mind. Set up proper administration, create policy that thinks in terms of opportunities, improve the style of communication, make personal contact possible. Create a customer-focused and positive tax authorities, where people are happy to pay taxes. Make it clear what is being done with our tax money. Invest in happiness and spiritual wealth. Give our children a future. Empower entrepreneurs. Get started with an entrepreneurial mentality. Decisiveness, hard work and commit yourself 20% to this.

It is now time for the Netherlands to know what really happened and that entrepreneurs can reconstruct their businesses or start something new. Make sure that invisible barriers are removed. Continue disconnecting data until the person comes back into view. We would like to contribute to a more beautiful and prosperous Netherlands, where there are opportunities for all people in our country, no matter what color you are, whatever country you come from, wherever you live. Give us the opportunity to regain our strength so that we get the opportunity to employ people again, to start great business. We are ready to contribute to prosperity, economy and the prosperity of our country. “Give us our lives back”.

DAMAGE IS ENORMOUS AND RUNS INTO THE BILLIONS

“The damage is enormous and is in the billions,” says Bouwer in the Financieel Dagblad on 6 May 2026. According to its entrepreneurs, the tax authorities have been monitoring entrepreneurs for years, raiding accounts and carrying out additional checks. According to her, the tax authorities were out to get entrepreneurs who were suspected to be 'out of business'. She herself lost three hospitality businesses as a result.

 OUTSIDE THE BOAT

According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, the complaints from entrepreneurs are about more than just the benefits affair. Not only are these parents who have been duped out with a company, but, according to him, it also seems to be entrepreneurs who are registered as fraudsters and believe that there will be a lot of damage.

AMOUNT OF DAMAGE PREDETERMINED AT 0 EURO - A 'SHAME' ACCORDING TO PAULA BOUWER

Since 2020, the government has been compensating victims of the benefits affair, but entrepreneurs are falling by the wayside in the recovery operation, according to Bouwer. “The damage for entrepreneurs has been set at €0,” she says. Companies can get a maximum of €3,000 if they go bankrupt. 'I know an entrepreneur who lost childcare institutions and filed damages of €15 million. ' (from article FD: 'Entrepreneurs also bear the brunt of the benefits affair')

'ALARM BELLS GO OFF'

The agreement between the affected entrepreneurs and the state secretaries will be made at the request of the House of Representatives. In November, he found through a motion that the benefits affair has consequences for many entrepreneurs. In October, the House asked the government to identify how many entrepreneurs were affected by the benefits affair and what obstacles this group faces. A petition by the Foundation for the Recovery of Unprecedented Injustice on March 16, 2026 caused MPs to ask questions. On March 19, 2026, Inge van Dijk of the CDA said the following:

“These entrepreneurs have been duped by unjustified fraud suspicions, by CAF investigations, risk selections, FSV registrations and collaborations between governments. This has led to bankruptcies and loss of income. It not only affects SMEs (Blue) but also Allowances. We should not look at these kinds of signals individually, but viewed in conjunction and address them in a timely manner. As a member of parliament, I hear these kinds of signals and the alarm bells go off.

The government is responsible for this action and must resolve it now. The necessary information that provides evidence is withheld from lawyers, lawyers and parents. The exorbitant costs of using Pels Rijcken to thwart things can then be omitted.

INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF THE DAMAGE IS NECESSARY — TRUST IS NO LONGER PRESENT

Entrepreneurs are now in acute need. The recovery has failed. There is no longer any confidence, and not without reason, that appropriate claims will be dealt with. The entrepreneurs who were forced to sign with the Equal Recovery Foundation are deeply sorry and acted out of need when they were bought off with a very low amount while losing their business, and also their other assets and assets. The government has not accepted mail for this damage. This pattern has also now also been repeated at the new 'mining recovery' counter. Paula Bouwer has already called on the Van Dam Commission for its own recovery counter for entrepreneurs. This idea was also not adopted and she has also indicated to MPs and Sandra Palmenpersoonlijk that it is nonsense to now put entrepreneurs in a queue of twenty thousand people again, where it is already known that the outcome cannot be appropriate.

SELF-DIRECTED

The entrepreneurs want their damage to be determined independently of the tax authorities, with the help of personal injury lawyers and specialists, lawyers and mathematical experts such as an accountant or arithmetic specialist. After that, entrepreneurs can submit a proposal so that a payment can be made quickly. Municipalities also do not support entrepreneurs, so they remain in serious trouble. At the moment, entrepreneurs are still forced to go bankrupt, live in social housing, stay at holiday parks, and hide abroad. They don't want to and can't wait anymore.

They do not want a separate recovery operation, which will again consume billions and wasteful. They want a concrete commitment that they will be seen in this, recognized and that they will have the opportunity to be restored. Their company can undergo a reconstruction or they can build new companies, without the (invisible) BKR, with the cancellation of all debts (including corona debts). The Foundation for the Recovery of Unprecedented Injustice, together with the core group of entrepreneurs, wants to be guaranteed that, in close contact with the responsible administrators (not with the Advocate), they will realize that the entrepreneurs will be quickly repaired by a rapid payment of their damage, with expert costs reimbursed by the Ministry of Finance. Sabotage of files must stop, the causal relationship must be recognized, and liability must lead to a legal right to compensation. Social recognition must be achieved. Society has a right to be clear. Entrepreneurs have the right to a fair and fair business climate, and not to a tax office that destroys them in every way imaginable.

Below is a detailed explanation of a selection of the topics.

WHAT DO THE ENTREPRENEURS WANT?

A causal relationship no longer needs to be determined

The strategy to let entrepreneurs prove everything is no longer acceptable and, after everything they have experienced, unacceptable. For years, they have been deliberately sabotaged in their entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs argue that it has been sufficiently proven that intent is involved and that municipalities, the police, and all parts of the tax authorities have worked together to bring about the demise of companies.

With whom data should become clear

They also request the tax authorities to inform all government organizations with whom they have shared their data, at home and abroad, that they are not fraudsters and also to inform entrepreneurs which companies they are concerned.

Data Vault

The “data vault” contains hundreds of millions of “forgotten” documents in any case crucial information about entrepreneurs, FSV information, risk selection and CAF studies. Research by the Interest Group for Duped Entrepreneurs Supplements/FSV/SMEs (GOT) has shown that the Q drives about which information was provided to the POK do not contain this data. The lawyer associated with the Foundation for the Recovery of OngekenOnrecht, Joost Allein Richir, has been involved as an AVG Officer at Customs with the FSV problem and getting the AVG in order. He also prepared a memo about this that also called for the FSV lists of employees to be removed from their systems and supervised. In addition, documents have shown that the FSV lists for entrepreneurs have not been set out, contrary to what the House has suggested.

File sabotage must stop

Entrepreneurs do not receive their information, which proves the basis of their registration and risk selection. Business, private, the FSV lists, openness about risk selection and inclusion in CAF cases, insights into both business and private settlements are currently unavailable. This leads to “information inequality”. No equality of arms. It is now a matter of fighting against an invisible and inviolable, powerful government.

It has not turned out to be a coincidence that again more than 80% of the entrepreneurs are of immigrant or foreign origin, which is contrary to the Constitution.

“We don't want expensive investigations, no commissions. No role for the state attorney. No investigations by the National Ombudsman and the Customs and Taxation Surcharges Inspectorate. No expensive consultants like PwC and KPMG. All information is already available at all these organizations. We want our business to be restored quickly and honestly and really very generously and for entrepreneurs to be restored to their glory, so that they can return from social exclusion and flourish,” says founder Paula Bouwer.

Abuse of European State Aid

The entrepreneurs state that the Ministry of Finance uses a maximum amount of 300,000 euros when dealing with business debts. The “de minimis scheme” is being wrongly raised, because it is damage. According to the interest group, this is presented as “support” in Europe. As a result, it is also not possible to function as an entrepreneur who has been affected and has therefore had major business losses.

The debts of entrepreneurs must all be paid, including the corona debts. No cherry picking at SBN, no lawsuits about it.

Entrepreneurs have been hit triple

Privately, professionally and during the recovery operation, at least 8,000 entrepreneurs have been severely affected.

In a confidential report from 2022, PWC investigated that entrepreneurs are determined on the basis of origin, gender, and location. Immigrants were the first choice to select as a risk. Foreigners are the second choice. Specific sectors or types of companies were also mentioned. Think of courier companies, garages, hair salons, pensions, restaurants, beauty salons, employment agencies, tax service providers.

Not only because of the benefits and recoveries that were wrongly made, they have faced a crackdown on the government that deliberately placed companies. The recovery operation, which speaks of generosity and swift action, has excluded entrepreneurs from appropriate treatment.

From the outset, it was not the intention to include the damage suffered by entrepreneurs in the Recovery Operation Surcharges Act.

 BRIEF EXPLANATION

Duped Entrepreneurs Allowances are entrepreneurs who — like many parents — were wrongly labeled a fraudster in the Allowance Affair, causing them serious damage both privately and commercially.

What exactly are “Duped Entrepreneur Allowances”?

This is a group of Stichting Herstel Onbekend Inrecht that is growing rapidly, partly after recent publications in the Algemeen Dagblad. Entrepreneurs who appear to have been affected by the same harsh and discriminatory approach of the tax authorities as the parents in the Allowance affair. Not only did risk selection play a role, the queries based on origin also had their devastating effect again. The CAF team went the extra mile by inventing entrepreneurs of systematic fraud and taking matters into their own hands to punish them by making their company “out of business” with the help of a “recipe book”.

Although the Allowance affair is mainly known as a childcare allowance scandal, it also appears that thousands of entrepreneurs ended up on blacklists, were unfairly classified as a fraudster and, as a result, and then a hunt for them occurred. As a result, they have run into major problems.

See the following publications on the website www.paulabouwer.nl about:

1. Angela and Davy who ended up in the fraud mill with their hospitality business in Hattem.

“Three times, the FIOD invaded their restaurant without finding anything, now Angela and Davy have lost everything”

2. “The tax authorities are killing us”

Hundreds of entrepreneurs are suing the state: 'Tax authorities destroyed us'

3. Overhealth entrepreneur Jennieke Dorgelo who lost her business in Kampen

The forgotten chapter of the benefits affair: entrepreneurs who lost everything but get nothing back | News | De Stentor.nl

4. Hart van Nederland broadcast on May 6, 2026 in which Paula Bouwer tells her story

At least 8,000 entrepreneurs also victims in benefits affair

5. For ten years, a mother of four has been fighting against the tax authorities: “My life is ruined, I want to save my children's life” | Region | DeGelderlander.nl

6. “Entrepreneurs also bear the brunt of the benefits affair” article FD May 6, 2026

In addition to being a duped entrepreneur and parent, Paula Bouwer has been investigating the origin of the Benefits affair, the recovery operation and the transformation into an SME scandal as an investigative journalist for five years. This concerns at least 8,000 entrepreneurs, according to a “Business Debt” document, who have suffered damage as a result of the actions of the Tax Administration. On April 2, 2025, the article Lost home, burn-out company bankrupt - De Groene Amsterdammer appeared. Alex and Gulsah also contributed to this, as well as 40 entrepreneurs who contributed to the survey for this purpose. This survey showed that between 70 and 80% of entrepreneurs have gone bankrupt, were forced to quit the company (s) or are on the verge of collapse.

 “Blue accelerates bankruptcy”

This comment comes from the weekly letters of the CAF team, set up by the FIOD. “Then people can't point to us,” says the Supplements department.

What damage did these entrepreneurs suffer?

Below, I outline the losses (not complete) that entrepreneurs have experienced, caused by the hunt for them due to the fraud suspicions of the tax authorities. Entrepreneurs have come into the picture as fraudsters by all departments of the tax authorities. The Department of Allowances and the SME Department worked closely together to bring down entrepreneurs. In 2021, many of them received a letter that this was wrong.

Bankruptcies and business losses because they got into financial problems privately and were no longer able to access finance or arrangements.

They have been deprived of opportunities for growth. They were deprived of everything they owned, such as business assets, bank account and investment account balances, business premises, their own home (s) and also those of their children (who were also included on the FSV lists).

Significant reputational damage, sometimes even publicly, has occurred. Entrepreneurs are ashamed to tell their stories. This week, a delegation from the team of the Advocacy Group of Duped Entrepreneurs Supplements/FSV/SMEs made a statement by posting articles with their moving stories throughout the Netherlands with the help of journalist Anne Boer van de Stentor. They have promised to follow this new file.

Loss of pension and AOW accrual because their companies collapsed.

Fleeing abroad, even there, they were followed and this has major consequences for them.

Psychological and social consequences, similar to those of affected parents: lengthy procedures, stress, loss of home and income.

 Courts have failed to recognize entrepreneurs' problems

 Years of court proceedings often led to denial of their problems with the tax authorities.

 Why is there no regulation for entrepreneurs (yet)? 3000 euro is a shame

Although the House of Representatives recognized in a motion and with the help of Parliamentary questions in 2025 that entrepreneurs were also severely affected, and after the motion even won a broad parliamentary majority, there is still no specific recovery or compensation arrangement for this group. They are forced to participate in the routes of the Equal Recovery Foundation and #mijnherstel, while the flat-rate frameworks include a maximum damage of 3,000 euros.

To discuss this, they are talking to a broad delegation from the Ministry of Finance today.

‍