The basis for calculating Belgian proportional fines is not - in principle - contrary to EU law

The Court of Justice delivered its judgment in the Belgian Cezam case on 17 May 2023. This alert discusses the implications of this decision.

A royal decree published in Belgium’s official gazette on 28 April 2023 gives employers the possibility of granting a one-time tax-free payment known as the “purchasing power premium” to employees. Subsequently, on 4 May 2023, the social security authorities released guidelines confirming the practicalities of the scheme, which are comparable to those of the COVID-19 premium that was introduced in the period 2021 to 2022.

On 2 February 2023, the OECD announced the release of the long-awaited
“administrative guidance” on Pillar Two (the OECD's global minimum tax). This
updates the commentary released in March 2022 and addresses a number of
the open technical uncertainties in the Pillar Two rules.

On 15 December 2022, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives approvedlegislation amending the Income Tax Code to implement new EU reportingobligations for digital platforms as from 1 January 2023. Draft legislationimposing new obligations for payment service providers as from 1 January2024 is expected to be presented to parliament by the end of January 2023.