Vincent Van Peteghem is not Vivaldi’s most colorful minister. “He is so discreet that, sometimes, we forget that he is the Deputy Prime Minister of the CD&V“, quips a federal source. On October 1, 2020, by taking an oath before the King, he nevertheless inherited Finance, one of the most strategic portfolios of the De Croo government. The mission entrusted to this considerate, serious and diligent man : carry out a major reform in order to modernize the Belgian tax system, simplify it and make it fairer.
Caught in a crossfire
But the path to achieve this goal has proven to be particularly tortuous… The federal majority associates water and fire on the socio-economic level. Socialists and ecologists are struggling to find the necessary compromises with the liberal family. Christian Democrat Vincent Van Peteghem is caught in this ideological crossfire between left and right. Discussions are frozen.
“Five out of the seven Vivaldi parties want tax reform, only the liberals are holding back with both feetaffirms a minister located on the Vivaldian left wing. This is not new… Already during the formation of the government, we spent nights on this point, discussing the meaning of each word of the majority agreement. Now the MR and the Open VLD are circulating the idea that there will be no tax reform and that Van Peteghem’s job is to prepare the work for an upcoming legislature. It’s not easy to manage for him, he really wants to make this reform that he knows is necessary.“
We say Vincent Van Peteghem is frustrated at not being able to move forward on such an emblematic file. In the next elections, what results will he be able to present to the voters? “It is more in the social trend of CD&Vnotes a socialist. This is what frightens the Liberals who leave him no space on his tax reform. We, on the left, might frankly live with his proposals.“
Too influenced by the administration?
Within the liberal family, precisely, criticism fuses. The Minister of Finance”is very friendly but is completely dominated by the tax authorities“. According to some liberals, Vincent Van Peteghem would be too permeable to the point of view of civil service experts defending a leftist point of view in the vision of taxation. “With him, the administration can pass the texts it wants. It is only us, the Liberals, who can rebalance things.“
Eddy Peeters, the super cab manager
Within the federal executive, not everyone has this critical reading. The team that works for Van Peteghem is, on the contrary, very solid and independent. One name clearly stands out, that of Eddy Peeters, the very experienced chief of staff to the Deputy Prime Minister. For nearly 15 years, he has been the confidant and technician of the federal heavyweights of the CD&V: Koen Geens, Kris Peeters, Pieter De Crem, Steven Vanackere, Jo Vandeurzen… He has known them all as chief of staff.
“Eddy Peeters is one of the oldest backpackers on rue de la Loi, confirms a member of the government. He negotiated the Vivaldi majority agreement. with Joachim Coens (then president of the CD&V, Editor’s note). Van Peteghem is very lucky to have him because he is very solid during intercabinet meetings. Even if, with Eddy Peeters, it is also the tradition of the old CD&V that filters through, that of a party which is afraid of its shadow and which is not very modern…“