In 2021, the Special Tax Inspectorate (ISI) was authorized 1,017 times to access a taxpayer’s account in a bank, according to its own data. Banking secrecy has been relaxed since July 2011 in Belgium. Tax inspectors have since been allowed to disregard bank secrecy if they have indications that a taxpayer is evading taxes or leading a lifestyle higher than his official income would allow.
The use of this skill is increasing. In 2019, the ISI had conducted 368 such bank investigations. By 2020, that number had grown to 626 investigations. And this increase has therefore continued in 2021. Last year, 3,725,581 euros of taxes due were calculated per civil servant and around 543,248 euros per civil servant were collected. These two figures are up on 2020, when they reached 3,613,172 euros and 528,037 euros respectively.