Allowance affair - Pierre Niessen

Whistleblower Pierre Niessen (68) wants his reports about the abuses to be dealt with by the tax authorities after all. He raised the abuses internally with his managers at the tax authorities nine years ago, but nothing was ever done about it. Now he wants Minister Hoekstra to still ensure that his complaints will be answered.

Pierre Niessen (68) worked for the tax authorities for years. In 2014 through 2016, he dealt with objections with the Tax Administration/Surcharges Collection Department. In the years before, he alarmed managers several times that parents were often unfairly harshly dealt with when dealing with surcharges or debts and that legal protection was not in order.

Achieving 'targets' was more important than treating citizens fairly. The former employee is now retired and wrote a letter of fire last December about the abuses by the tax authorities.

“I couldn't stay silent any longer after the shocking reports from RTL News and Trouw about the benefits affair,” he says. Thousands of parents were found to be fraudsters without proof and had to repay tens of thousands of euros.

Systematically ignored

According to the whistleblower, abuses at the tax authorities were systematically ignored, up to the highest official level. “I complained but was kept silent for 9 years.”

Niessen believes that a criminal investigation is still appropriate after 9 years. He makes that urgent appeal to responsible minister Wopke Hoekstra.

Niessen: “If you want a cultural change at the tax authorities, you will first have to investigate how the benefits affair happened and remove the bad apples from the scale.”

Also read:

Abuses at the tax authorities ignored to the highest official top

Remove rotten apples

According to the whistleblower, those bad apples are his former manager, the then director and a few other managers. “This day-to-day management still rules the roost. As a result, nothing has changed in all these years. Without removing the bad apples, a cultural change is also pointless,” Niessen emphasizes.

He believes that these people should in principle be fired or that other disciplinary measures are being taken. “Otherwise, you are infringing our rule of law,” he says.

Improper governance

According to Niessen, the fact that nothing has been done with the reports over the years is a sign of “improper administration”. “Partly because of this, I had a burnout for two years.”

After all these years of fighting, he finally hopes for justice. “For myself, but also for all those affected by the childcare allowance affair.”

The whistleblower also wants Minister Hoekstra to talk to all managers within the tax authorities. “And that the employee is involved in the new policy that is being introduced. This prevents employees from being confronted with policies that go against the rules.”

“In conversation”

Minister Hoekstra will talk to the whistleblower this afternoon. “I want to learn from him. And know about him what specific things he has that we need to do what with,” the minister said prior to this conversation.