Context
The Inspectorate of taxes, benefits and customs was established after the childcare benefit scandal, in which tax officials wrongly accused thousands of parents of fraud. The scandal revealed severe breaches of fundamental principles within Dutch institutions, leading to a loss of public trust. The government has apologised and resigned, followed by elections and a pledge for reforms. International bodies such as the Venice Commission and the European Parliament have become involved in scrutinising the issue and monitoring the recovery process.
Objectives
The new Inspectorate aims to restore faith in the government by enhancing the learning capacity of the tax administration, ultimately preventing another scandal of this magnitude. The Childcare Allowance Scandal highlighted critical issues such as overly harsh regulation, institutional bias and a lack of responsiveness to distress signals from those impacted. The government is currently undertaking a recovery operation, with a significant amount of funding allocated to compensate affected families. The goal is to rectify the injustices inflicted and prevent similar failures in the future, listening to the victims, understanding their needs and identifying the key values they seek in the recovery process.
Implementation
The approach used prioritises citizen interaction and collaboration. The victims are considered the primary experts in the recovery operation, and their experiences hold crucial importance in finding solutions. A participatory process has been designed to achieve this, creating a safe space for dialogue between victims, civil servants and experts. This approach is intended to lead to better lessons learned for the current recovery operation and future government actions. The initial report, ‘Lives on Hold’, has already sparked collaboration among all involved parties to seek solutions and accelerate the recovery process. A commitment to citizen-centric perspectives will remain a cornerstone of efforts to ensure government services truly meet the needs of the Dutch people.