Tax Investigator Boss: Influencer No Tax Number – Economy
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Focus on Tax Justice for influencers
Stephanie Thien, head of tax investigators in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, is leading a task force dedicated to ensuring social media influencers pay their fair share of taxes.Thien emphasized the need for tax justice,stating,”We cannot explain why they indulge in luxury on the Internet and get away from the tax.” according to a statement to the German Press Agency. The initiative aims to address the gap between public displays of wealth by influencers and their tax compliance.
Effective January 1, 2024, all NRW tax investigators from local offices were consolidated into the State Office to Combat Financial Crime (Landesamt zur Bekämpfung von Finanzkriminalität – LBF), with Stephanie Thien at its helm. This centralization brings together 1200 experts specializing in tax fraud, money laundering, and cybercrime. Thien explained the strategic shift: “We have to go over time, also as a law enforcement authority. And for that we have to network.”
The restructuring aims to eliminate redundancies and foster collaboration. “It makes no sense if teams in ten authorities work individually on the same phenomenon,” Thien stated.
Current Investigations and data collection
Approximately 200 tax criminal proceedings related to influencers are currently underway in NRW.Recently, the authority received a data package containing 6,000 records, which are now being investigated for potential tax offenses. While the source of this data remains confidential, Thien confirmed that other federal states have also been involved in gathering details on influencers across Germany.
A dedicated task force within the LBF specifically focuses on the financial activities of internet celebrities. Thien noted that many influencers are generating income or receiving monetary benefits without proper tax reporting. She revealed that “several content creator doesn’t even have a tax number.”