SP asks Parliamentary questions about a possible ‘sponsorship deal’ between the UvA and EY

MP Peter Quint of SP asked Minister of Education, Culture and Science Dekgraaf about a possible ‘sponsorship deal’ between the University of Amsterdam and Ernst & Young.

Research website Follow the Money recently reported that the UvA’s tax law division promised several companies benefits in return for sponsoring a research project. This would give EY the opportunity to conduct research and network with a professor from another department.

Deputy Quint wants from the minister Known Whether it is true that the UvA has handed over leadership of research into the financial uses of blockchain to a tax advisor/partner at EY. He wonders how scientific independence is maintained “when funding and research management comes from a directly interested commercial party”.

TaxGrid

Kwint also wants to know if it is true that EY, which has been developing the digital product “TaxGrid” for several years, is lobbying to test and purchase this blockchain product aimed at profit tax. “Has EY also contacted the Ministry of Finance or the Tax and Customs Administration to promote TaxGrid?” Quint writes.

EY previously told the FTM that the sponsorship deal proposal from the UvA was nothing more than a “list of possibilities” and that the letter was taken for information.