Folkert Idsinga

Folkert Lútsen Idsinga (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈfɔlkərt ˈɪtsɪŋɣaː]; born 22 December 1971) is a Dutch tax lawyer and politician.

He was a partner at law firm Baker McKenzie, and he was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2021 general election on behalf of the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Idsinga left the House in September 2023 to switch to New Social Contract (NSC), and he was re-elected in November 2023. He became State Secretary for Tax Affairs and the Tax Administration in the Schoof cabinet in July 2024, but he resigned four months later over questions about his personal finances.

Idsinga was born in 1971 in the Friesland village Bakkeveen and studied fiscal economics at the University of Groningen, graduating in 1996.^[2][3] He worked for the accounting firm Arthur Andersen until he took a job at the law firm Baker & McKenzie in 2002. Idsinga was specialized in value-added tax and became a partner in 2004.^[4][5] He was promoted to joint managing partner and co-chair of the board of directors of the company's Amsterdam office in July 2015.^[6] Idsinga stopped being managing partner in 2018 but kept working at Baker McKenzie as a partner.^[7][8]

Idsinga ran for member of parliament in the 2021 general election as the VVD's 33rd candidate. He was elected, receiving 483 preference votes, and was sworn into the House of Representatives on 31 March.^[9] His specializations were tax affairs, financial relations between the national government and decentralized governments, export credit insurance and facilities, Holland Casino, the Dutch Lottery, currency, and Domains Movable Property.^[10] Idsinga was a member of the German, British, and American parliamentary contact groups, and he was on the Committees for Defence, Digital Affairs, Finance, and Public Expenditure.^[11] Idsinga left the House on 5 September 2023. Following his November 2023 re-election on the party list of NSC, he served as the party's spokesperson for taxation and benefits.^[12]

After the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB formed the Schoof cabinet, Idsinga was sworn in as State Secretary for Tax Affairs and the Tax Administration on 2 July 2024.^[13][14] His portfolio included taxation, financial relations with lower governments, state ownership of Holland Casino and Nederlandse Loterij [nl], and Domains Movable Property.^[15]

In October 2024, PVV leader Geert Wilders joined opposition parties in demanding transparency about Idsinga's retirement savings, which included business interests and could create conflicts of interest. His savings, valued at over €6 million in 2023, were managed by a foundation for the duration of his term, and Idsinga refused to provide more visibility, citing his privacy.^[16] The NOS reported that he was eligible for major tax incentives for a 2019 investment in an algaculture company, which he had disclosed, by categorizing himself as an entrepreneur rather than an investor. Idsinga responded that the Tax Administration had ruled that his arrangement was compliant.^[17] On 1 November, Idsinga resigned as state secretary, declaring that he perceived a lack of trust from the House. He continued to deny wrongdoing, and he provided an overview of his financial holdings days later as a private citizen.^[18] His portfolio included a vacation home, bonds, minority stakes, and shares in mostly foreign companies.^[19] Idsinga was succeeded by Tjebbe van Oostenbruggen two weeks later.^[20]

As of 2021, Idsinga resided in the Dutch capital Amsterdam.^[11]

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