Unified status – Immediate and practical action points
On 1 January 2014, the law on the unified employee status, published in the Belgian official gazette of 26 December 2013, came into effect. We would hereby like to draw your attention to some practical implications which in our view should be on any employer’s to-do list. Take a picture! For those employees already in
Update regarding the special contribution payable on high pension contributions (the so-called ‘Wijninckx bijdrage’)
To recall, if the total of contributions paid into occupational pension plans for one person exceeded EUR 30,000 in 2011, the company has to pay a special contribution of 1.5% on the excess amount. This charge is due both for employees and for self-employed company directors. For employees, the special contribution has to be reported
Final FATCA regulations issued: let the compliance begin
In brief Stakeholders patiently waiting for guidance regarding the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) need not wait any longer – final regulations were issued along with a press release on January 17, 2013. FATCA was enacted as part of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE Act) on March 18, 2010 to serve
AIFMD: the finer details take shape
The European Commission (EC) finally published its delegated acts (the Level 2 Regulation) under the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) on 19 December 2012. The EU Parliament and the Council have three months to scrutinise the Regulation but the likelihood of rejection by them seems quite low. The Level 2 Regulation has had a
The Programme Act of 27 December 2012: changes in social law
1 – Tightening the law on loans of staff The Act of 24 July 1987 on temporary work, outplacement and the lending of staff in favour of users lays down a fundamental prohibition against loans of staff that are accompanied by a transfer of employer authority to a user. The Act of 12 August 2000
Belgian legislative changes to withholding tax
Over the last weeks, the legislator made some major changes to the withholding tax system. The latest tax measures have been implemented by the Act of 13 December 2012 and the Program Act of 27 December 2012 into the Belgian Income Tax Code (“BITC”). In addition, the Royal Decrees of 20 December 2012 and 27
OECD webcast on the BEPS action plan: Update on 2014 deliverables
On January 23 2013 the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development held a webcast providing updates and insights into its ongoing Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project. The OECD’s presentation follows the release of its Action plan on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting on July 19 2013, which addressed the perceived flaws in international tax
European Court of Justice runs down “Limosa notification” for self-employed workers
In a judgement handed down on 19 December 2012, the European Court of Justice states that the duty of notification for self-employed workers who are temporarily carrying on a self-employed business activity in Belgium, which is referred to as the “Limosa notification”, runs counter to the free movement of services (art. 56 TFEU). Background The
