Victor van Gilse

Hardly anyone consciously chooses a career in tax at seventeen. In my case, “tax law” quite literally came out of a careers aptitude test at secondary school, and it never left.

I grew up in Hilversum, with the forest a five-minute walk from our front door. A good part of my childhood played out there, among the tree huts and tipis. Finance was never far away at home either, as my father worked at a bank. Still, without that test I probably would not have known so early which direction I wanted to take. Tax law fit from the very first moment, and I passed the programme in one go.

I studied at the University of Amsterdam, starting in the first COVID year. Amsterdam was a deliberate choice: the legal heart of the Netherlands, home to the big firms, with guest lectures from professors I admired, such as Edwin Heithuis and Stef van Weeghel on international tax. The bachelor's was broad, ranging from private law to criminal law, and it was precisely that broad foundation that suited me.

At first I thought I would go and work at the Dutch tax authority. Then I ended up at TaxSavers, and it was nothing like the dusty tax office I had pictured. I joined a young, close-knit team with real depth of knowledge and genuine attention for clients. At many other firms the work seemed to come down mainly to filling in documents; here it is about real personal contact. That appealed to me straight away, and it is the reason I stayed.

My work now revolves mainly around preparing tax returns properly and around the international side of the field, which is also the subject of my master's in International & European Taxation. What I enjoy most is taking something a client finds complicated and making it clear and manageable.

I also have outspoken views on tax itself. I am convinced that the tax system can, and should, be fairer and clearer. The current Box 3 rules and the treatment of the owner-occupied home are, to my mind, good examples of where the law still falls short. One day I would love to help translate ideas like these into better legislation.

I write articles because most people find tax rules intimidating, even though those rules were never really written to be understood. A clear article in plain language provides clarity at the moment someone needs it, often long before they actually bring in an adviser. That is exactly why I think it is worth sharing that knowledge.