The Belgian tax authorities are planning to implement artificial intelligence (AI) to scrutinise tax returns from businesses and individuals, according to Het Nieuwsblad, referencing a statement by Finance Minister Jan Jambon (N-VA) in response to a parliamentary question from Open VLD MP Kjell Vander Elst.
Minister Jambon stated that the Ministry of Finance is preparing to integrate AI into its operations. Currently, the tax office already employs techniques such as “data mining” and “scraping” to extract substantial amounts of information from various government databases.
Jambon stressed that the use of AI technologies in the tax domain will strictly adhere to privacy laws and the guidelines outlined in the EU’s AI Act. The AI Act establishes standards ensuring the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
The minister also highlighted that any implementation of AI within the tax department will only follow the successful completion of a pilot project. “AI can only be deployed once the pilot project yields positive results,” he emphasised.
