WILLEMSTAD - Finance Minister Javier Silvania has stated that no write-off has been granted for old tax debts from 2017 and prior. The tax authority is concentrating on collecting debts that are no more than five years old to keep tax collection up-to-date. 

The minister’s statement is in response to questions from opposition and coalition partners seeking clarification on reports suggesting that Silvania had previously discussed a possible write-off of old tax debts amounting to approximately three billion guilders. 

Silvania emphasizes that the current policy focuses on collecting tax debts from 2018 onwards, with a restructuring policy in place for earlier years, which involves no active collection. 

Silvania notes that the poor tax collection policies of previous governments led to his approach, which aims to improve the current situation. Despite the criticism, he remains committed to his policy and assures that the current collection method is designed to maximize tax revenue without creating unnecessary backlogs.