I feel his pain. My friend Arthur writes: "Make a mistake by transferring €20 too little VAT (well in advance), and you'll receive a €50 fine as a thank you. No message, no understanding, no regular reminder because it's clearly a mistake—no, you get a fine."

 

Many entrepreneurs, including freelancers, will recognize this: you have good intentions, make a mistake, and are mercilessly punished for it. The complete lack of understanding and leniency.

Of course, I also know that it's difficult for the Tax and Customs Administration to know who's well-intentioned and who's not. And rules are rules, yes.

That is true, but as soon as rules, which are put in place to block the way of the bad guys, no longer distinguish between the bad guys and the good guys, between first-time offenders and repeat offenders, something is wrong.

Yes, but equal monks, equal hoods.

Okay, but if that's the case, isn't that also unequal monks, unequal hoods?

Yes, but that is discrimination.

Clemency

So from now on, we're not going to distinguish between good and evil? Okay then.

It seems so simple: a glance at a taxpayer's payment history reveals whether they are consistently late. Those who do so deserve a different approach than those who always pay on time and occasionally miss their dues.

Clemency. Humanity. Understanding. It might be difficult, because where do you draw the line? But it's not impossible. That becomes clear the next day.

Late in the evening, I arrive home from an appointment. In my neighborhood, every street is jammed with cars. It's become a familiar ritual: I drive around in circles looking for a parking spot. This time, I'm in luck. Two blocks from my house, about a hundred meters' walk away, there's a spot available. Parking is free, but for a maximum of two hours, and that time starts tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. Fine. I place the parking permit behind the windshield, grab my things from the backseat, and walk home.

Oops, forgot

The next morning, I have a few online meetings and forget that I'm parked in a spot where I have to get my car out by 11:00 AM. I don't realize this until early afternoon. When I get to my car at 1:30 PM, I see it immediately: I have a ticket. Damn! I grab the ticket from under my windshield wiper, hastily stuff it into my jacket pocket, get in my car, and drive away.

Later, I take the ticket out of my jacket pocket to see how much the damage is. I read: Illegal parking warning. You're receiving this warning because you parked illegally, for example, on the sidewalk or outside of designated parking spaces. You'll receive a warning instead of a fine. Avoid a fine and follow all applicable traffic regulations.

I'm surprised. Not just because I don't have to fork out any number of euros now, but especially because I'm glad this exists. Because to say that these fines are good for trust in the authorities? No way. Even the minister recently acknowledged that traffic fines are quite high after the head of the Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB) complained that they are too high in relation to the offense and that the increase for someone who doesn't pay on time is excessive.

This way of thinking may well become a trend.

Clemency initiatives

I can just picture it spreading like wildfire across our country. In Amsterdam, Parking Management is introducing the friendly wheel clamp. Each wheel clamp now comes with a tag containing a pin. With that pin, you can just pop the inflatable wheel clamp, boom!

In Rotterdam, a boy cycles through a red light. A police officer stops him and asks his name. Matthew, he says with a sour face. “Here, Matthijs.” The officer gives him a ticket. "You ran a red light. That's extremely dangerous, so be careful. Rotterdam isn't ready to be without you. This one's for you, a card from my compliments book, because you have a beautiful bike!" Matthijs laughs.

You will receive a payment reminder from your energy supplier: Your payment hasn't arrived yet. You've probably been busy. We understand; it can get crazy here sometimes, and we even forget to get coffee. 😉 Would you please transfer the outstanding amount? That way, even in the dark days, the light stays on.

How wonderful it would be if we could make organizations even more human in their customer interactions. With understanding, leniency, a wink, and humor in fines, penalties, payment reminders, and debt collection.

Good intention for the new year.

(Ziptone/Frans Reichardt)

Customer Experience, Featured, Opinions