The federal government has decided to reduce the 6% VAT for the purchase and installation of solar panels, heat pumps and solar boilers from April 1. This reduced rate already exists for houses over 10 years old. From April 1 to December 31, 2023, it will also apply to housing less than 10 years old, including newly built housing and housing rebuilt following demolition. The federal government recently decided to release 1.16 billion euros to reduce energy dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to sustainable energies. The investment package accompanies the decision to extend the life of the two most recent nuclear power plants. The 1.16 billion released by the government are also intended, among other things, for the expansion of offshore wind capacity in the North Sea and the extension of the reduction in VAT to 6% on demolition and reconstruction.
Operational from April 1, the Promaz fund will provide financial support to owners of defective oil tanks to clean up the soil. This fund is intended for any owner in Belgium or end user of an oil tank presenting or having presented a sealing problem (coming from the tank itself or its pipes), with proven soil pollution. Fuel oil tanks which have been taken out of service but which have caused pollution may also be the subject of an intervention. The aid covers buildings with a residential function (houses, apartments) but also non-residential (such as offices). The text was published at the end of February in the Belgian Monitor following twenty years of negotiations with the oil sector, which finances the fund. Applicants can register on the website www.promaz.be and check if they are eligible. The fund will then contact them.
the minimum wage will increase by 76.28 euros (excluding indexation) from 1 April. This is the first step in the four-phase minimum wage increase negotiated between the Group of 10 social partners. In two subsequent phases (January 2024 and 2026), 35 euros gross will be added each time. It was then a question of an increase bringing the Guaranteed Average Monthly Minimum Income (RMMMG) to 1,700 euros per month during the first phase. But, the amount will be higher due to the various indexations since the pivot index has been exceeded three times since the date of signature of this agreement. Consequently, this will ultimately be 100 euros higher than expected and will amount to 1,806.16 euros.
The public sector wages will increase by 2% in April due to the overshoot of the central index in February. The month following this excess, allowances and pensions are indexed by 2% in order to adapt them to the cost of living. Salaries for civil servants follow a month later. This is the second time this year that the salaries of civil servants have been indexed. This had also happened in February following the overshoot of the central index in December. According to the Planning Office, a third overshoot of the central index is possible this year. These frequent overruns are linked to significant inflation. It reached 8.04% in February, its highest level since March 1983, driven by high prices for energy products.
The embarkation tax on an airplane will come into force on April 1. It aims to encourage alternatives such as the train, for example, instead of “chip jump” flights. This tax, which concerns all the country’s airports, will be 10 euros for a passenger whose destination is not located more than 500 km as the crow flies from the busiest Belgian airport in the country (Brussels Airport at Zaventem), two euros for a passenger whose destination is further away but is located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, and four euros for a “long-haul” passenger whose destination is more than 500 km away and is located outside these various European countries. Air Belgium, Brussels Airlines and TUI, however, regret this particularly unwelcome tax as the sector “tries to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, the most costly crisis and the most serious in its history.” Airlines are also concerned regarding the terms of implementation of such a measure.
Service station owners will be required to post a sign indicating the average cost per 100 kilometers from April 1. This new obligation applies to service station owners who offer at least three of the following types of fuel: petrol 95, diesel, LPG, electricity, hydrogen and CNG. The poster must be updated quarterly and affixed in a clearly visible place at the pumps as well as in the stores of the service stations. It was the European Union that initiated this measure aimed at better informing consumers regarding the prices of different types of fuel.
The Walloon telecom operator Voo will increase some of its prices from April 1 in order to adapt to the acceleration of inflation. These price increases will vary between 1 and 2.50 euros per month. In all, 35 rates will be increased. The subscription to cable television will for example increase from 22 euros to 23.50 euros per month, an increase of 18 euros per year. For offers marketed since November 2019, the increase will be between 1 and 2.50 euros. It will be between 55 cents and 2 euros for previous offers. Voo usually adapts its prices on July 1st, but due to the acceleration of inflation, the operator had to adapt its timetable. All updated prices can be found on the operator’s website in the tariffs section.
From April 1, garden centers and DIY stores will have to display a series of posters in the “pesticides” department to warn of the dangers of plant protection products on the environment and health. One of these posters takes up the general precautions for use (wearing gloves, spraying without human presence, use of recyparcs, etc.). The other three briefly present effective alternatives to protect once morest invasive weeds, insects or diseases in the garden. Each of these posters will be equipped with a specific QR-code referring to a web page with more complete explanations.
BNP Paribas Fortis has decided to cap at 250.000 euros the maximum authorized amount of savings account regulated from 1 April next, once morest an unlimited amount currently. If the savings account exceeds 250,000 euros, the excess amount will then be made available on another deposit account already existing or opened for the occasion, with the same management parameters as the account at the origin of the transfer. The account receiving the amount that exceeds the authorized threshold will have a credit interest rate of zero (0%). According to the bank, more than 99% of BNP Paribas Fortis customers, Hello bank! and Fintro are however not affected by this measure.
