Tax issues

Belgium has a high tax burden, both on professional income and on transfers of assets. What legal options are there to mitigate that bill, for yourself or your loved ones?

A dispute with the tax authorities is a technical matter. There are time limits and procedural rules, and the defense must be substantiated with solid legal arguments. The same is true when a dispute comes to court.

If you have a dispute with the tax authorities, it is wise to be well informed in advance.

You can do this based on the questions below.

  • How do I respond to a notification of a change in my tax return?
  • How do I substantiate a notice of objection?
  • How do I stay clear of tax abuse?
  • Is a preliminary ruling useful or necessary? How do I do that?
  • A Belgian resident must declare foreign accounts and life insurance contracts in Belgium. A legal arrangement must also be declared (Cayman tax). What is a legal arrangement in this context? And who is a founder?
  • Is a voluntary disclosure possible or necessary? What are the benefits of paying the expensive levy?
  • Can tax mediation be useful?

If you have a business:

  • In Belgian personal income tax, capital gains (on shares of a company, for example) are untaxed within the normal administration of private assets. Is this applicable to my situation?
  • Subject to conditions, capital gains on shares are exempt from Belgian corporate income tax. What do I have to consider?
  • I have a company abroad. How is double taxation on my profits or dividends avoided?
  • Belgium has concluded double tax treaties with dozens of countries in and outside the EU. In this way, the avoidance of double taxation, but also of double non-taxation, is arranged. Anti-abuse provisions also apply internationally.
  • What if I (or my company) am confronted with so-called “signs and indications showing a higher degree of prosperity” than from the declared income? Do I then have to prove with what money I have paid for that “standard of living”? The answer is “no”. But what do I have to justify in my situation?

We answer these questions together with you and get to the heart of the problem. From there we build up the advice or defense. You will learn what tax burden you must consider. We can assist you before a tax court.