Apparently, in Amsterdam, fleeing Nazi persecution and hiding from German troops to avoid forced placement in a concentration camp is no excuse not to pay taxes.
A recent investigation reveals that the City of Amsterdam fined hundreds of Jewish Holocaust survivors for tax avoidance at a time when they were hiding from Nazis — or even imprisoned in the Germans’ camps, The Times of Israel reports.
The daily newspaper Het Parool first exposed the city’s tax policy, which ultimately led to the confiscation of numerous Jews’ homes. The homes were then occupied by members of the Dutch Nazi party, the Times of Israel reports. And it’s not like the property confiscations or collections attempts ended with the war.
The Times of Israel says Amsterdam officials continued trying to collect as late as 1947.
A spokesperson for the city said an investigation was ongoing. But Ronny Naftaniel, a former Holland Central Jewish Board treasurer, calls that promise weak.
There have been a number of reports about Amsterdam’s poor treatment of the Jewish community that have surfaced in the years after World War II, but “few facts” ever come to light, he said, as quoted by the Times of Israel.
Amsterdam continued with its tax policy even as other Dutch officials with different municipalities waived the debts, the Times of Israel reports.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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