ANPR cameras installed on roads and in police vehicles have long been able to detect cars whose license plate holder has not paid a traffic fine or if they have debts relating to customs and excise.
An extension to the law, which came into force on July 27, now allows ANPR cameras to detect tax offenders. These are people who refuse to pay debts that the Federal Public Service Finance is authorized to collect, such as personal income tax, corporation tax, VAT or maintenance arrears.
According to Francis Adyns, the spokesman for the FPS Finances, the terms of application have yet to be determined, but there is no question of organizing a witch hunt on all Belgians with tax debts. “The cameras focus on those who, repeatedly and after a long series of reminders, still do not pay their debts. »
Lawyers point out that the law leaves a lot of room for interpretation. “Behind the law, a policy is taking shape which is not transparent and offers no guarantees”, denounces Svyatoslav Gnedash, partner and head of tax litigation at Eubelius in De Tijd. “We regret the absence of a minimum threshold or proportionality requirement in the legislation. »