Visit Van Havermaet

Articles

  • Categories

  • What are you searching for

Doing business in Belgium

2024.03.12
Heads up for contractors!
2024.01.24
Expats: new reporting obligation for employers
2024.01.12
Logging into Belgian government websites as a foreigner – pass through the town hall first?
More articles

Global R&D Incentives

2018.05.17
GRANTS AND INCENTIVES
The Belgian government has always had a strong focus on companies involved in R&D activities and provides support via a large number of tax incentives for employers as well as employees. Innovative income deduction: As from 1 July 2016, the new Innovation Income Deduction replaces the former Patent Income Deduction. Companies can now deduct up to 85% of their net innovation income, which may result in an effective corporate tax rate of 5 percent. Not only granted patents fall within the scope, but also copyrighted software and process innovation. The qualifying income comprises royalties, license fees (embedded in sales prices), as well as capital gains. Further to the BEPS Report on Action 5 (“Modified Nexus Approach”), the tax deduction is calculated on the net income and subject to a specific formulae.
2018.05.02
GLOBAL R&D INCENTIVES
Innovative companies play a key role in our economy. Governments worldwide have therefore foresee in multiple R&D incentives to encourage additional research and innovation by businesses. Also the Belgian government is providing its fair share and foreseeing in specific R&D incentives in the form of corporate tax credits, patent income tax exemptions, wage withholding tax reductions, government grants. etc.  
More articles

International mobility

2023.08.31
Amended list for bottleneck professions in Flanders (Belgium) as from 1 September 2023
2023.07.04
Trying to find your ideal Employee? Look a little further!
2022.11.30
Teleworking across borders – Social Security extends transition period, tax authorities do not
More articles

International tax services

2023.06.19
Tax authorities warn: stricter audits on wage withholding tax exemptions in 2023
The tax authorities announce new audits on companies using exemptions from wage withholding tax payments in 2023. To support certain sectors, the law provides for so-called ‘wage withholding tax discounts’. Think, for example, of the discount for overtime, scientific research or shift work incl. works in immovable state. The employer is exempted from paying (part of) the wage withholding tax to the Treasury. Since this amount is retained in the company, this directly provides more cash assets. In this round of audits, the focus is on the exemption for night work and shift work incl. works in immovable state. Last year, this courtesy measure underwent major changes . Anyone applying for one or more exemptions will initially receive a letter from the tax authorities warning them of the extra audits. In this way, the tax authorities urge you to first check yourself whether you meet all the conditions of the exemption. Did you apply the exemption incorrectly? Then you can make a spontaneous correction in the wage withholding tax declarations. However, bear in mind that you may owe 4% late payment interest (on an annual basis) if you have to repay unjustified exemptions. Moreover, should the tax authorities discover during an audit that you did not qualify for the exemption, you risk a tax increase of 10% up to 200%. A thorough evaluation of the exemptions applied in your company is therefore important. Would you like the help of our specialists in this regard? We are at your service!
2023.02.24
Internationally active companies, beware! Tax authorities are given more time to check and correct the tax return
2022.03.07
Will your company soon have to declare whether it is an empty shell?
Developments at European level in the fight against tax avoidance and evasion – what do you need to know? The European Commission has repeatedly stated that it wants to focus more on “fair taxation” within the European Union. At the end of last year, various initiatives were taken from this perspective in the form of proposals for directives. On the one hand, the Commission initiated the effective minimum taxation of 15% for multinationals in each country in which they operate (according to the OECD’s draft “GloBE”, or “Global Anti Base Erosion” rules). This will only affect large corporate groups with a consolidated group turnover of at least EUR 750 million. Those same large multinationals will also have to disclose certain information to the general public (possibly from mid-2024). On the other hand, the Commission’s proposals also include a directive to tackle the improper use or abuse of “shell companies” (“ATAD 3“). This directive would apply to all companies, regardless of their size. Therefore, we want to zoom in on it.  
More articles

Labour and personnel

2024.04.12
Your payroll administration Q2.2024
2024.03.21
Update – Cleaning sector – additional notification obligation 
2024.02.05
Update forecast wage indexations 2024
More articles

Posting of workers

2022.11.16
Posting third country nationals – what rules should you take into account?
Virtually all employers are experiencing the shortage on the European labour market and are looking for solutions to attract talent from outside European borders as well as flexibly deploy them on Belgian projects. However, employees who are not citizens of the European Economic Area (“EEA”) or Switzerland (hereafter “third-country nationals”) cannot be employed in Belgium just like that. In principle, they need a permit to work and reside in our country. In some cases, however, the (often) complex procedure to obtain such a permit does not have to be followed. This is the case, for example, for third-country nationals employed by a company based in the European Union who are temporarily posted to Belgium for a specific project as part of their employment. This exception is sometimes popularly referred to as the “Vander Elst exemption”.  
2022.04.20
Belgium – announced social inspections – construction sector (j.c. 124) – may 2022
2020.12.17
Brexit is coming: UK companies be prepared for Belgian VAT changes
Brexit is coming: UK companies be prepared for Belgian VAT changes The Brexit is coming closer. The United Kingdom will officially leave the EU VAT scheme on 31 December 2020. Until this date, the transition period applies with the result that the UK can still benefit from the EU VAT scheme. As from 1 January 2021 the new VAT rules will apply as the UK will change from an EU Member State to a third country. The new Belgian VAT rules are listed below to which UK companies must comply if they wish to do business with Belgian companies or private individuals.
More articles

Salary split and expats

2023.03.16
Clarity on the new Belgian expatriate tax regime
2022.11.30
Teleworking across borders – Social Security extends transition period, tax authorities do not
2022.01.03
YOUR PAYROLL ADMINISTRATION IN Q1 – 2022
The holidays have just ended and with them comes the first quarter. What does this mean for your payroll administration? We have already listed the particulars.    
More articles

Transfer pricing

2021.09.16
UPCOMING TRANSFER PRICING DEADLINE: ALSO FOR YOUR COMPANY?
Since the introduction of transfer pricing documentation requirements in 2016, numerous Belgian companies are required to make their transfer pricing documentation available to the Belgian tax authorities on a yearly basis. More specifically, companies that exceed certain thresholds must prepare and submit a Master File and a Local File each year. In some cases, a Country-by-Country report or a CBC notification must also be submitted. In addition, new transfer pricing guidelines on specific topics are rapidly being introduced, such as the remuneration for the use of intellectual property and financial transactions within business groups. These guidelines can have a far-reaching impact on your transfer pricing policy and documentation.
2019.08.08
Transfer pricing in 2019: time for action?!
TP documentation filing deadline is approaching! As of 2016, transfer pricing documentation obligations have been introduced in Belgium. Hence, as in many other countries, Belgian entities have to draw up and submit transfer pricing documentation when certain criteria are met. See also our previous newsletter for more information. This means, for example, that qualified Belgian entities, which are part of a multinational group, are obliged to prepare and electronically submit both a Master file and a Local File.    
2018.11.14
Deadline approaching for electronic filing of Belgian transfer pricing ‘BEPS13’ forms (Master File – Country-by-country reporting)
Qualifying Belgian group entities which are member of an international group should take into account the upcoming deadline of 31st December 2018 for electronic filing of the Belgian Master File form ‘275MF’ as well as the Country-by-country reporting (275 CBC NOT and/or 275 CBC).
More articles

VAT

2022.11.23
New invoice statement for Belgian contractors applying “VAT reverse charge”
2021.09.09
Appointment of a VAT representative in Belgium: new guarantee rules
In order for a non-EU established taxable person to be able to perform taxable transactions in Belgium for which he is the VAT debtor, this taxable person must in principle register for a Belgian VAT number with the appointment of a fiscal representative established in Belgium. For EU established persons the appointment of a fiscal representative is not compulsory but optional.
2020.07.31
The impact of Brexit on Belgian VAT registration
Before a foreign company can carry out taxable transactions in Belgium, this company must, in principle, register for VAT purposes in Belgium. A different regime applies depending on whether the foreign company is established in the EU or outside the EU.
More articles
BTW: BE 0449.399.317
© Van Havermaet International 2024

We use cookies or similar technologies (e.g. pixels or social media plug-ins) to optimise your user experience on our website, among other things. In addition, we wish to use analytical and marketing cookies to personalise your visit to our website, to send targeted advertisements to you, and to give us more insight into your use of our website.

Do you consent to our use of cookies for an optimal website experience, so that we can improve our website and surprise you with advertisements? Then confirm with ‘OK’.

Conversely, would you like to set specific preferences for different types of cookies? This can be done via our Cookie Policy. Would you like more information about our use of cookies or how to delete cookies? Please read our Cookie Policy.

OK