Update – Netherlands – Case law on the 150 km criterion of the 30% regime
As mentioned in our headline of 27 February 2015, the European Court of Justice (‘ECJ’) issued a preliminary ruling on the question whether the 150 km criterion of the 30% regime for incoming workers is to be upheld. The ECJ was of the opinion that the 150 km criterion – in itself – does not
Update – Case law on exemption method for foreign employment income incompatible with EU Law
As mentioned in our headline of 15 July 2014, the Belgian tax authorities published a practice note (updating their position on to the attribution of personal tax benefits) after Belgium was sentenced by the European Court of Justice for breaching EU law. The relevant judgement indicated that EU law is violated where a taxpayer cannot
Tax reform announced in the Brussels Region
The Brussels Capital Region has recently presented its budget for 2016. Amongst others, a tax reform was announced, which will be implemented partially in 2016 and partially in 2017. In 2016, the lump-sum regional tax of EUR 89 and the additional levy of 1% on the federal personal income taxes will be abolished. Real estate
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
Possible adjustment to the tax-free amount for tax equalisation for foreign executives
The Belgian tax authorities have recently introduced some changes to the so-called “technical note” detailing the calculation of the recurring tax-free allowances in the framework of the special tax regime for foreign executives (which are limited to EUR 11.250 or EUR 29.750 per year, depending on the employer’s circumstances). In many cases, the most important
Cayman tax enacted – List of legal entities published
With the Program Law of 10 August 2015, the so-called “Cayman tax” has been implemented. Under this regime, certain legal constructions are treated as transparent for Belgian tax purposes, implying that income generated by them is taxable or their founders or beneficiaries. The Cayman tax is in principle applicable to income that is obtained, attributed or paid
Belgium: agreement on tax shift
On 23 July 2015, the Belgian federal government reached an agreement on the so-called “tax shift”. The tax shift is mainly aimed at i) reducing the tax burden on labour, ii) improving the competitiveness of Belgian companies and iii) creating more jobs. It involves the introduction of a number of new tax measures that may impact
New lump-sum amount for reimbursement of business use of private car
Employees using a privately-owned car for business purposes can now be reimbursed a lump-sum amount of EUR 0.3412 per kilometre. Costs that an employee incurs when using a privately-owned car for business purposes can be reimbursed by the employer free of income tax and exempt from social security contributions. Repayment can be made on a lump-sum basis, taking
