- A 44-year-old man from Sri Lanka was sentenced to 10 months in prison for large-scale VAT fraud
- The man led a care sector agency that submitted incorrect VAT returns from 2016 to 2020
- The tax authority lost over 355,929 euros due to the fraud
- The company falsely claimed VAT exemptions by stating its revenue fell under the zero rate
- The fraud was discovered during a tax audit in 2020
- The man claimed he was unaware of the errors and blamed his bookkeeper
- The court found he was informed of VAT obligations in 2016 and was responsible for accurate filings
- The initial sentence was reduced from 13 to 10 months due to delays in the case
- The court emphasized the societal impact of tax fraud
- The defense’s argument for a VAT exemption was rejected as the company only acted as an intermediary
Source: accountancyvanmorgen.nl
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
