Romain Heinen, the longstanding director of the Registration Duties, Estates, and VAT Authority, is set to retire on 1 October 2024, despite his mandate's official extension until 2027, as granted in 2020.
The decision for Heinen's premature retirement was made upon his request, which he had already submitted under the previous government. It has now been approved by the new Minister of Finance, Gilles Roth.
Heinen had been at the helm of the authority since 2006, when he took over from Paul Bleser. Prior to that, he oversaw registration duties and the land registry at the Ministry of Finance for ten years. He started his career at the Ministry in 1984 and worked his way up to senior level.
During the election campaign, Heinen explained upon enquiry that the reduction in housing VAT for investors promised by the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) would not be possible due to constraints imposed by the European VAT Directive. This stance directly opposed statements by the then CSV lead candidate and current Prime Minister, Luc Frieden.
