Van Oostenbruggen does not know whether he will receive box 3 money back
Van Oostenbruggen does not know whether he will receive box 3 money back
THE HAGUE (ANP) - Incoming State Secretary for Finance Tjebbe van Oostenbruggen does not know whether he will receive money back as a result of rulings by the Supreme Court on the tax on capital returns (box 3). The NSC member, who in his new position will be responsible for implementing a compensation scheme, said this in a hearing in the House of Representatives.Investors and savers paid taxes on an assumed return for years. A group of wealthy people went to court after a series of lean years in which they did not achieve that return at all, and were proven right all the way to the Supreme Court. Many billions of euros in compensation are expected to be paid in the coming years.
D66 MP Hans Vijlbrief asked Van Oostenbruggen, who is known to have amassed millions as a successful entrepreneur, whether he is also owed money and how he would deal with it in his new role. "Not to bully," assured Vijlbrief, who acknowledged that he had faced the same dilemma as a former State Secretary in this post.
Own investments
Van Oostenbruggen said he did not know whether he himself belonged to the target group. "I'd have to check with my accountant about that." He did say that he has "not that much" power in box 3. His money is "largely in box 2", in which, for example, the shareholding in a private company or family business is taxed.
The intended State Secretary was asked a number of questions about his investments. His predecessor Folkert Idsinga resigned because the House insisted on more openness about his share portfolio. Van Oostenbruggen assured that he has exercised "100 percent transparency" with Prime Minister Dick Schoof and the State Attorney, who must now determine what is relevant to report to Parliament.
Remote interests
His business interests have been at a distance for some time, Van Oostenbruggen emphasized, because they could also "lead to question marks" in his role as Member of Parliament. And in consultation with the State Attorney, we checked what else should be reported. "Those rules are crystal clear and you should not try to ignore them as a minister."
The government is still examining whether the rules for transparency about business interests need to be tightened. If this leads to "more stringent transparency requirements", Van Oostenbruggen will also comply with them, he promised.