'Checkout culture'

FNV: 'checkout culture', tax authorities, employee anxiety

By RTL News·November 27, 2019·Updated: November 27, 2019

RTL News

State Secretary Menno Snel of Finance should set up an independent integrity committee where tax authorities employees can safely tell their story.

That is the wish of the trade union FNV, which conducted a survey among 900 tax office employees and came to the conclusion that there is a checkout culture there. This leads to a fear among employees to report abuses. This was already evident extensive research by RTL News and Trouw.

Problems with childcare benefits

“Employees have to be listened to. This requires a place where they can tell their story safely,” says FNV director Mieke van Vliet. According to her, nothing has changed since 2012, and the current problems with childcare benefits are “a direct consequence”.

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Good example management

The FNV survey follows a campaign in which the Secretary of State asks employees what they can change about the culture at the tax authorities.” In the survey, employees indicate that they want to help with a cultural change, but they especially expect management to lead by example to bring change,” says Van Vliet.https://youtu.be/4hPN0hesczs?si=Ksvsqqpe_CmMKZJx

After years of litigation, Gwendolyne has finally been proven right. The tax authorities wrongly accused her of fraud with childcare allowance. It caused major financial problems.

Response Fast

In a response, Snel contradicts that the service would not have done anything about the problems in recent years: “A lot has changed at the tax authorities since 2012.” However, according to the Secretary of State, the benefits affair shows that the culture at the tax authorities must change. This will also be “extra deployed” in the coming period.

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Secretary of State Snel misled House into benefits affair, withheld documents

Officials furious

Yesterday, RTL News already reported that tax authorities are calling for measures against managers responsible for the benefits affair, where childcare benefits were unlawfully stopped. Employees believe that those involved should be disciplined. Some are openly calling for the National Investigation Service to be called in, according to a series of angry reactions from employees on the Beeldkrant, the intranet of the tax authorities, which RTL News and Trouw had access to.