The Belgian government is set to change its tax regime for expats as part of its budget for 2022, which was approved on Tuesday.
At present, foreigners living in Belgium on a temporary work assignment are only taxed on the days that they actually work in the country. According to details of the budget announced on Tuesday, these expats will soon have to pay higher social security contributions.
“We are tackling an outdated tax measure,” Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem said. It is estimated that the reform could yield about €35 million for the government.
Also included in the budget are a tax on airline tickets for flights of less than 500 kilometers and scrapping the need for a doctor’s note if people are sick for just one day.
The measures in the budget aim to reduce the budget deficit for 2022 from its current 5.4 percent to 3.1 percent.
“We have come to a very broad package of measures, with a number of very drastic decisions,” Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said.