A local Dutch court has ruled that a professional fisherman guilty of drug smuggling was qualified for a tax relief worth $2 million. The cost of the hashish and shipping could be taken out of the fisherman's original tax bill of $4.4 million.

"We disagree with the local court, so we will go to the Supreme Court to appeal," said Tax Service spokesman Marcel Homan.

Homan refused to give more details on grounds of privacy rules.

The court decided that since the fisherman, whose identity was not released to the media, was only guilty of drug running and not trading he could minus the cost of the drugs from his tax form.

Although marijuana and hashish are illegal under Dutch law, police do not apprehend smokers for possession of less than one-sixth of an ounce.