(NL Times) The Tax Authority specifically targeted Islamic organizations when investigating fraud with gifts and donations, NRC reports based on a ruling by the District Court of The Hague that will be published on Wednesday. According to the court, “it cannot be ruled out” that the Tax Authority discriminated. The court, therefore, declared an investigation into the As-Soennah mosque in The Hague invalid.
The As-Soennah mosque filed this lawsuit. In 2018, the Tax Authority revoked its ANBI status, which entitles donors to deduct donations to the institution from their taxes. The mosque argued that the Tax Authority investigated it because of its Islamic nature.
The mosque was able to substantiate its argument, the court ruled. Documents submitted showed that the Tax Authority had “increased interest” in “donations to mosques” and that mosques were “already seen as a fraud risk themselves.”
