Paula Bouwer, entrepreneur and victim of the benefits affair, is looking for Amersfoort peers: “There is a lot of shame”

Paula Bouwer quit Queens in 2022, but is now busy with the Recovery of Unprecedented Injustice Foundation.

AMERSFOORT

For years, entrepreneur Paula Bouwer did not understand why she had many problems with the tax authorities. Among other things, she received no childcare allowance and was labeled a fraud. She appeared to be a victim of the benefits affair. That is why she is looking for other Amersfoorters who, like her, were unfairly described as fraudsters by the tax authorities.

Bouwer's story starts with her dream of starting her own business in Amersfoort. In 2007, the time was right and she started Queens Bed & Breakfast on the Groenmarkt, together with her 21-year-old daughter. In order to remain financially stable, she kept her job at SNS Bank. Builder:,, I started with wealth, and had my act together. It seemed like the right time: my pension had already been arranged. That's when I got into an impossible situation with the municipality of Amersfoort.”

I did win the case, but I lost everything.

URILIFT She got into trouble with the permits because a urilift was unnecessarily planned in the middle of her terrace, without her knowledge. A nine-year battle against the municipality of Amersfoort followed, which cost a lot of money, but in the end she won the case. “That was the first half of my life that was ruined,” says Bouwer. ,, I did win the case but lost everything. I was unable to maintain my business properly, there was poverty. I was always trying to prove that the case was wrong. What started as a dream for us turned into a long-term nightmare.”

Meanwhile, she had problems with the tax authorities. Her sales tax, income tax, childcare allowance, child-related budget and care allowance were deducted. She didn't know why. She had to pay back the childcare allowance all at once, with fines. She was labeled a fraud. ,, My son went to daycare and at some point I couldn't afford it. As a result, I worked from home a lot and had extra staff costs. I just had non-stop problems with the municipality of Amersfoort and finances for fifteen years. It was a very difficult period, even for my children.”

NOT MY FAULT Because of the many works, Bouwer had little time to watch television, she says. ,, I happened to watch TV once and saw a program called “Unprecedented Injustice” about the childcare allowance. I thought the problems were only with the childcare institutions themselves, but then I read an article in the newspaper by a woman whose story was very similar to mine. I decided to file an application to see if I was a victim, and that turned out to be the case.” For Bouwer, trauma surged. “At first, I had a lawsuit with the municipality for nothing, and now I had also run into trouble with the tax authorities for something that wasn't my fault.”

You can't afford help, so there's nothing you can do about it

In the end, she was able to save and recoup money in creative ways. ,, I watched a lot of discount promotions, but I also started renting out my house near Queens to generate extra income so that I could still pay the debts. My family also helped me. That was very stressful, especially with the knowledge that you are in poor health. I didn't know how much longer I could work.” Finally, Queens closed in July 2022.

HEALTH Not only was she in financial trouble for years, but her health also suffered as a result. ,, One infection gave me another one. My immune system weakened. In Brazil, I almost died from the effects of the weak immune system. I also had mental problems because of the stress.” Bouwer gets visibly emotional when she talks about this. “You can't afford help, so there's nothing you can do about it.” After being admitted to being duped in February 2021, she received compensation in May. “After that, I collapsed. It took time to process everything that had happened and I still need psychological help with that.”

In order to better understand what was going on and to have conversations with other victims, Bouwer took several steps. For example, she is now studying investigative journalism and has been working almost full-time at the Foundation for the Recovery of Unprecedented Injustice since September 2021. Bouwer set up that foundation to draw attention to the problem, advocacy and recognition. There is a lot of shame among the victims. Bouwer says:,, If you have been accused of fraud for so long, you will also believe that you are wrong in the long run. The tax authorities don't make mistakes, right? But it is also difficult for the children. They notice that classmates have been on vacation and they have not. But it happened to us and there's no reason to be ashamed at all.”

If you've been accused of fraud for so long, you'll eventually believe you're wrong.

PEERS Bouwer likes to get in touch with peers from Amersfoort. “I've already met a few people who experienced the same thing, and I get a lot of support from the stories.” Specifically, Bouwer is also curious about the experiences of entrepreneurs who have been duped. ,, I am one of the first entrepreneurs to come out with this story. As an entrepreneur, if I dare to tell this story, despite the shame, I hope others can do the same.” The goal is for all peers to unite together and that meetings are organized to discuss this. “Because I've experienced what it's like to be poor, I now feel in a position to stand up for other people who are in this situation right now. I want to look at opportunities to give others a better life. That's why I'll soon be talking to alderman Nadya Aboyaakoub-Akkouh about how to proceed now.”

Do you recognize yourself in this story and want to get in touch with Paula Bouwer? She can be reached at +31 6 16149242 or check out the website www.paulabouwer.nl.

by Marit Bos

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