Major changes to Belgian tax procedures in the pipeline
Reports of important amendments to the Belgian tax procedures appeared in the press, prior to the parliament’s summer recess. This newsflash summarises the main aspects and current status of the proposed measures. Extension of investigation, assessment and retention periods The draft law on various tax and financial provisions contains substantial changes to the investigation, assessment
Early indications of the direction of travel for broad tax reform
On Tuesday 5 July 2022, Professor Delanote of the University of Ghent published his vision note regarding the broad tax reform. The note includes recommendations for potential amendments in the scope of a broader tax reform. The note was drafted at the request of several ministers, however, there is no consensus among the Federal and/or
The Luxembourg Reserved Alternative Investment Fund (RAIF) – Updated
Luxembourg RAIFs are increasingly used in order to provide debt funding for acquisitions. Until recently it was uncertain how interest paid by a Belgian company to a RAIF is to be treated from a Belgian withholding tax perspective. Two recent decisions of the Belgian Supreme Court provide more clarity. The RAIF Regime In 2016, Luxembourg
New provisions grant judicial police powers to Belgian tax inspectors to combat fraud
The law of 17 March 2022 regarding various fiscal provisions to combat fraud has recently been published and adopted. It includes new tax provisions that remove the existing legal obstacles for officials of the Belgian tax administration to participate in judicial investigations. This law provides for a new legal framework that allows designated tax authority officials to
Belgian Minister of Finance confirms intention to mandate B2B e-invoicing
In his policy note, the Belgian Minister of Finance, Mr Van Peteghem, confirmed the intention to gradually make electronic invoicing mandatory for businesses-to-business (B2B) transactions. The measure is aimed at reducing the Belgian VAT gap, which is the difference between the expected VAT revenues and the VAT revenues that are effectively collected. For the year
The 2022 Belgian budget round
On the 29th October, the council of ministers agreed on the draft program law outlining the 2022 Belgian budget measures. On 9 November at 16.00, PwC Belgium will organise a webinar where our experts will reflect on this set of measures and the impact this may have for businesses in Belgium. If you are interested,
Belgian government announces measures to transition Belgian economy post-covid
Yesterday, the Belgian Government reached an agreement on the Belgian budget. The budget agreement combines a number of measures to transition the Belgian economy after Covid in an environmentally balanced manner. Some points will need further agreement with the social partners, and some measures are taken explicitly in view of the recent surge of energy
The European Court of Justice decides the Belgian excess profits regime constitutes an aid scheme and refers the case back to the General Court
In its decision of 16 September 2021 the European Court of Justice (‘ECJ’) overruled the judgement of the General Court of 14 February 2019. Different from the General Court, the ECJ concluded that the three conditions for an aid scheme to exist are met. The ECJ referred the case back to the General Court, which
