The 730,000 digital tax returns already submitted to the tax office cannot be dealt with by the computer system and need to be resent, junior tax minister Jan Kees de Jager told MPs on Wednesday.

De Jager said he has now decided to take charge and reorganise the tax office’s IT department, which has been beset by serious computer failings in recent months.
The minister says he plans to bring in a strong central organisation to oversee the entire department’s IT systems and re-check the digital tax return project.
In January the general auditors office issued a damning report on the chaos caused by IT problems at the tax offices’ rent and health care subsidy section. The cost of that system turned out to be more than double the original estimate of €38m.
It emerged in June 2007 that some 400,000 companies would have to resubmit payroll details because of software problems. The software, supposed to make it easier for firms to file payroll details electronically, did not function correctly, NOS news reported at the time.
MPs have asked De Jager to explain the latest problems and called on the tax office to take a lenient approach to people faced with making a second declaration. The tax office assumes most people will have kept a copy of their tax return on their computer. Tax returns have to be made by April 1.
The problem was identified mid-February and solved on Saturday, ANP reports.