5,500 VAT files blocked in Belgium following cyber attack on Finance Ministry
The cyber attack against the Finance Ministry paralyses the online activation of VAT numbers. More than 5,500 files remain pending, according to DHnet.
Thousands of entrepreneurs awaiting a VAT number following the cyber attack
More than a week after the cyber attack that hit the Finance Ministry, thousands of entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals are still unable to activate their VAT number online, according to L'Echo and De Tijd, cited by DHnet.
This number is nevertheless essential for issuing invoices and making professional purchases. Without activation, new businesses find themselves unable to conduct their operations normally.
Some digital services affected by the attack have since been restored, notably the online counters MyMinfin and Tax-on-web. The VAT number activation tool remains unavailable.
An emergency procedure has been put in place: requests can be sent by email to the Finance Ministry, which then proceeds with manual activation. This substitute solution, however, leads to considerably longer delays than the usual digital route.
The business counters Liantis and Xerius report, on their own, thousands of pending files. The Finance Ministry puts the total number of files still awaiting activation, modification or cessation of a VAT number at 5,500.
Source: DHnet