Is There a Special Enforced Tax Collection Regime Under the ECtHR Case Law?

Abstract

This article examines the extent to which the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) takes into account the privileged nature of tax claims in enforced collection proceedings. Conducted within the framework of the right to property, the aim is to find a response to this question: Does the ECtHR case law allow for a special regime in enforced debt collection proceedings? A definitive answer to such a question requires a comparison between Court judgments on tax debts and non-tax debts. Under both the lawfulness and legitimate aims tests, no distinction appears between these two types of debt. On the other hand, under the proportionality test, the Court generally grants a wide margin of appreciation to States Parties. In this respect, two different dimensions are encountered, namely, the tax collector versus tax debtor and the tax collector versus other creditors. While the ECtHR does not allow differences between the collection regimes of non-tax debts in the former relationship, it appears that in the latter, the Court maintains the privileged status granted to the tax collector in domestic law. However, this privileged status is not unique to tax debts. Therefore, the article concludes that there is no special status for the tax debt enforcement regime under a comparison with non-tax debts.