The Dutch tax office is known or notorious for their blue envelops. Tax office messages are communicated to you by using the blue envelop. That makes it clear to anybody in the Netherlands that that is a message from the Dutch tax office and that this message needs attention.
However, a message by regular mail costs money and the postal costs go up rapidly. Moreover, not all blue envelops actually arrive or if you have not informed the tax office you emigrated, the message will never arrive.
The message box (berichtenbox)
The tax office has therefore introduced the messages box. The messages box needs to be activated and then all the future mail you receive from the Dutch tax office and other Government organizations, is send to your messages box.
In order to be able to open a messages box, you need to activate a Digital ID (digid). A digital ID you can only obtain when you are a resident Dutch tax payer. With the Digital ID you can activate a messenger box.
The messenger box will show you the messages the Dutch tax office send. But most likely also the messages the local county send to you about the local tax to be paid. Or an other Government organization that has contact with you, will use this box. All to save time and money (stamps) plus it is rather quick.
Income tax return
In the near future your Dutch income tax return will be set ready for you as well in this messenger box. The only question the Dutch tax office has for you is to press yes if you agree. This is indeed competition for our business. So below you find our response in this respect.
30% ruling
The Dutch tax office can set ready your Dutch income tax return, all your Dutch employment income is included and your Dutch bank accounts. Even though the Dutch tax office is the organization that issued your 30% ruling, the aspects of the 30% ruling are not taken into account in the income tax return set ready for you.
Profit income
The Dutch tax office cannot know about your Freelance income or the income from your one man company (eenmanszaak). This implies you cannot agree with the income tax return set ready for you.
Foreign assets
If you are a Dutch resident tax payer, you need to report your world wide income and assets. The Dutch tax office has only set ready the Dutch assets known, as the tax office does not know about your foreign assets. Not reporting them, results in 300% penalty per year.
Foreign income
If you are a Dutch resident tax payer, you need to report your world wide income. Foreign income the Dutch tax office has not set ready, hence you cannot agree with the tax return suggested by the Dutch tax office.
Study costs
Having studied in the Netherlands does not automatically imply the Dutch tax office knows about this, hence your study costs deduction will not be in the income tax return set ready for you.
Purchase costs house
In the year you purchased a house, you paid for deductible purchase costs. The Dutch tax office has not processed these costs in the income tax return, as they are not aware of these costs.
When none of the above applies you can accept the tax return set ready by the Dutch tax office. That said, it is not a guarantee the Dutch tax office will issue a penalty to you for not filing a correct income tax return, even though the tax return was prepared by the Dutch tax office themselves.
Orange Tax Services
Inevitable the online filing as suggested by the Dutch tax office is the future. This system simplifies the organization of the Dutch tax office, as viewer tax returns are being filed. This method is very user friendly, but only with respect to the filing date. The contains of the tax return prepared for you does not need to be correct. This implies you can use the system, but visiting a tax advisor once in a while to double check what is being done, is well worth the money. We are looking forward to meeting you.
