Increase of purchasing power of employees for 2016 and 2017
We hereby inform you that the industrial partners have concluded a new sectoral agreement for Joint Committee (JC) 200 for the years 2016 and 2017. This JC replaces the previous JC 218 and is applicable to your firm in Belgium. After the index leap and the limited maximum margin for wage increase for 2014 and 2015 (see
Progress regarding implementation of Single (work and residence) Permit Directive
The EU Single Permit Directive 2011/98/EU requires the member states to adopt a single combined work and residence permit application procedure, and it needed to be transposed into national legislation by 23 December 2013. In Belgium, the implementation of the Directive suffered quite some delay. The reason for this is that the residence permit related
End of year is approaching: rules of the game for gift vouchers
One option to reward employees in a tax-friendly manner at the end of this year is to provide them with a gift, i.e. gifts in kind or in cash, or vouchers for books, sporting and cultural events, movies, etc. As a general rule, gifts are in principle considered as remuneration and thus subject to social
Indexation of minimum required salary for work permit of highly-qualified and managerial employees
In order to obtain a Belgian work permit for individuals in the capacity of highly qualified or managerial employees, a specific minimum salary has to be observed, as provided under Belgian immigration law. This minimum salary is indexed every year. Our office was informed by the immigration authorities of the Brussels Region about the indexation of
Belgium: new agreement on Tax Shift
On 10 October 2015, the Belgian federal government reached a new agreement on the so-called “tax shift”. The tax shift is the shift from tax on labour to other taxes. The objectives of the tax shift are: To respect the budgetary engagements; A revival of the economy by creating more jobs; Reducing labour taxes to
Joint Committee no. 218 will become no. 200
On 1 April 2015, Joint Committee no. 218 will be converted into Joint Committee no. 200. All collective bargaining agreements in force within Joint Committee no. 218 will be transferred to the new joint committee as of 1 April 2015. The employers’ and employees’ rights and entitlements will thus not be affected. Employers belonging to Joint
Administrative cost charged for certain Belgian residence applications from 2 March 2015
The intention of the Government to apply charges for residence applications in order to cover the administrative costs was already present in the Program Act of 19 December 2014. On 16 February 2015, the Government approved a new Royal Decree, which becomes effective on 2 March 2015. Individuals who apply for Belgian residence will be charged an
New bilateral social security agreement between Belgium and Brazil
A social security agreement between Belgium and Brazil enters into force on 1 December 2014. This agreement enables companies to second employees to the other country while keeping them subject to the home social security scheme and guarantees equal treatment for workers living or working in the other country. This social security agreement – which
