Any Belgian who has not paid their taxes or alimony payments on time now faces being stopped by customs and having their cars seized and sold.
According to De Tijd and other Flemish media outlets, the law allowing ANPR cameras to detect car licence plates of drivers who have not paid a traffic fine or have customs debts has been extended to detect tax evaders.
This extension applies to people who owe debts to the Federal Public Finance Services, with regards to personal income tax, corporate income tax, or VAT.
How this law will be applied is yet to be determined, said FPS Finance spokesperson Francis Adyns, who maintained that the service does not want to organise a witch hunt against tax dodgers.
Lawyers, on the other hand, are criticising the lack of clarity, with Belgian tax litigation lawyer Svjatoslav Gnedash stating that he "regretted the absence of a minimum threshold or proportionality requirement in the legislation."
