I founded a business in Germany, and the tax departments decided to asses me for 2024 to an amount of 100% of my combined 2020-2022 turnover. Instopped trading halfway through 2023, abd there will be no turnover for 2024. I currently have a tax “debt” that is literally more money than the business ever _collected_ over it’s entire existence.
It is nearly impossible to find a tax lawyer that is willing to take on the case, and my accountant keeps telling me that there is nothing to do except pay up and then wait for the refund. I don’t now have, or ever had in the past, the kind of money they are demanding. The anxiety that this situation has been causing for the past year and a half (they did a similar stunt for 2023) has become unbearable - I am threatened with personal bankruptcy and jail time for taxes I don’t even owe - and I often consider the easy way out.
I recently had to appear, in person, at the tax office (I reside on the other side if Europe now, but was forced to make the trip). There are no options to send a representative. You must make declarations in person, like its 1734.
Living in Germany and running a business there is turning out to be the biggest mistake of my life.
I'm sorry to hear that. I do not have any advice to offer, but someone close to me went through a similar ordeal of bureaucratic and fiscal hell in another European country. They lost everything they had to the taxman and its insane rules. There is a great number of people similarly broke or jailed because of how restrictive and anti-business these laws are. I do not see how can one in good conscience defend them as good, or productive for entrepreneurship.
If everything fails, I would suggest to at least make as much noise about this as possible. On social media, local news, etc. Just like a viral post is the only way to get Google support, in these bureaucratic hells an interview from a journalist might open some novel avenues for help.
I am so glad circumstances brought me to the UK, where in comparison company law is child's play, and managing my business and its taxes takes a couple hours a year at most.
As someone who's also been the subject of harassment and terrorism by the tax authorities in another EU country, your comment gave me Vietnam War flashbacks.
It is nearly impossible to find a tax lawyer that is willing to take on the case, and my accountant keeps telling me that there is nothing to do except pay up and then wait for the refund. I don’t now have, or ever had in the past, the kind of money they are demanding. The anxiety that this situation has been causing for the past year and a half (they did a similar stunt for 2023) has become unbearable - I am threatened with personal bankruptcy and jail time for taxes I don’t even owe - and I often consider the easy way out.
I recently had to appear, in person, at the tax office (I reside on the other side if Europe now, but was forced to make the trip). There are no options to send a representative. You must make declarations in person, like its 1734.
Living in Germany and running a business there is turning out to be the biggest mistake of my life.