Anyone live and work in Belgium?
17 February 2003, 02:25 PM
#2
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: same time, different place
Posts: 11,313
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes
on
2 Posts
All I can remember is that tax avoidance is the national sport (eg even supermarket checkout girls are self-employed) and cost of living will be higher if you are in Brussels due to all the embassies, Eurocrats, NATO etc. 'Twas 7 yrs ago...
Where's Theo?
Where's Theo?
17 February 2003, 03:33 PM
#4
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 3,491
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just back from a trackday trip to the UK if you don't mind 
OK, I'm not an expert, but assuming you will work as a regular employee:
Take your gross income
Pay 13.7 % social security on it
(don't worry, your employer pays 46 % on top of that as well
)
So now you are down to your taxable income, unless you get special benefits like meal vouchers (not taxable)
Then, depending on the level of your income, expect to pay anywhere between 33 % and 70% taxes. This goes according to scales/slices (first 2K is tax free, next 5K is 15 % etc)
You now have your net income.
Pay a further 21% VAT on anything you buy, including second hand cars etc. OTOH, my MY99 cost me 10.000 UKP new ex-VAT ex-taxes.
Long story short: ask your potential employer to calculate your net income from your gross income. The net income is what you really want to know. He'll need to know a few things (family situation, number of kids) and then he can calculate it fairly accurately. If you don't want to ask them, mail me the gross salary + benefits package and I'll ask my wife (she's in HR) to calculate it.
Last time I checked, I think my wife had a monthly net income of about 1.2K starting with a gross income of 2K
Cost of living is way lower than in the UK, but as Brendan says, avoid living in Brussels or it suburbs, as prices have gone through the roof over there.
Fuel is now about 60p for a litre of super plus 98 octane. Housing & rent is way cheaper than in the UK if you stay away from Brussels. Cars are much cheaper, with the caveat that you pay silly taxes on high performance cars (1.5 UKP surplus tax on a Scooby, + 21% VAT). Insurance is lower than in the UK.
Always hard to compare, and indeed tax avoidance is a national sport, but with rates up to 70 % or social securaty of 56% you can imagine why. As a regular employee, you can't do much though mind. And us avoiding taxes is a bit like every italian is member of the mafia... as always, the more money you have, the better accountants, the better loopholes etc.
OTOH, medical care is brilliant & almost free, as are pharmaceutics etc. Same goes for pensions. Schools are pretty good as well (and totally free), unless you want to send them to the British School... So all in all it is not an easy task to compare countries/situations. Lots of really wealthy Dutch people come live in Belgium for tax reasons.
Bear is cheap
Oh, and we are now officially member of the "Axis of Evil", so you might want to take that into account as well !
Hope this helps a bit.
OK, I'm not an expert, but assuming you will work as a regular employee:
Take your gross income
Pay 13.7 % social security on it
(don't worry, your employer pays 46 % on top of that as well
)So now you are down to your taxable income, unless you get special benefits like meal vouchers (not taxable)
Then, depending on the level of your income, expect to pay anywhere between 33 % and 70% taxes. This goes according to scales/slices (first 2K is tax free, next 5K is 15 % etc)
You now have your net income.
Pay a further 21% VAT on anything you buy, including second hand cars etc. OTOH, my MY99 cost me 10.000 UKP new ex-VAT ex-taxes.
Long story short: ask your potential employer to calculate your net income from your gross income. The net income is what you really want to know. He'll need to know a few things (family situation, number of kids) and then he can calculate it fairly accurately. If you don't want to ask them, mail me the gross salary + benefits package and I'll ask my wife (she's in HR) to calculate it.
Last time I checked, I think my wife had a monthly net income of about 1.2K starting with a gross income of 2K
Cost of living is way lower than in the UK, but as Brendan says, avoid living in Brussels or it suburbs, as prices have gone through the roof over there.
Fuel is now about 60p for a litre of super plus 98 octane. Housing & rent is way cheaper than in the UK if you stay away from Brussels. Cars are much cheaper, with the caveat that you pay silly taxes on high performance cars (1.5 UKP surplus tax on a Scooby, + 21% VAT). Insurance is lower than in the UK.
Always hard to compare, and indeed tax avoidance is a national sport, but with rates up to 70 % or social securaty of 56% you can imagine why. As a regular employee, you can't do much though mind. And us avoiding taxes is a bit like every italian is member of the mafia... as always, the more money you have, the better accountants, the better loopholes etc.
OTOH, medical care is brilliant & almost free, as are pharmaceutics etc. Same goes for pensions. Schools are pretty good as well (and totally free), unless you want to send them to the British School... So all in all it is not an easy task to compare countries/situations. Lots of really wealthy Dutch people come live in Belgium for tax reasons.
Bear is cheap
Oh, and we are now officially member of the "Axis of Evil", so you might want to take that into account as well !
Hope this helps a bit.
17 February 2003, 03:39 PM
#5
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 3,491
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oh, cross posted... yes, you do get a "13th month" and sometimes a 14th month pay... and lots of paid vacation days (about 20 to start with, goes up later) and national holidays... bear in mind that those 2 extra months get heavily taxed. I'll ask my wife later on how much exactly (I've been self employed for 13 years now, and although I do write payroll systems, my memory is a bit of a joke :blush
The 1.9 extra months is "vacation money" and "double vacation money", all funded by the employer...
Unions have always had a very strong position here, so it's way better to be an employee than to be an employer...
I think that extra money is paid in May or June, but again will check with the wife later on.
The 1.9 extra months is "vacation money" and "double vacation money", all funded by the employer...
Unions have always had a very strong position here, so it's way better to be an employee than to be an employer...
I think that extra money is paid in May or June, but again will check with the wife later on.
17 February 2003, 04:07 PM
#6
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 8,021
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
OMG - Thanks a lot, can you send me your email address(use ukonline address) and I'll give you all the details.
The job is in Heverlee. Includes coy car (Passat or S40), hoping to take the allowance and get a 330d maybe(Scooby out by the looks of it).
Cheers
Matt
The job is in Heverlee. Includes coy car (Passat or S40), hoping to take the allowance and get a 330d maybe(Scooby out by the looks of it).
Cheers
Matt
Trending Topics
17 February 2003, 06:57 PM
#8
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: same time, different place
Posts: 11,313
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes
on
2 Posts
BTW Theo, whereabouts are you in Belgium if not a state secret? If I have to come to Brussels at some point, it would be nice to stop by.
Oh, and LOL at Axis of Evil! Hey, didn't Dr Evil (one MILLION dollars, not our Mod) come from, or be raised in, Belgium?
Oh, and LOL at Axis of Evil!
Hey, didn't Dr Evil (one MILLION dollars, not our Mod) come from, or be raised in, Belgium?
17 February 2003, 10:48 PM
#10
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 3,491
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I give up on the Dr. Evil guestion. No million for me 
Dr. Death ?
But the easy answers are: I live near Antwerp and about 40 km from Brussels. So gimme a shout when you are over next time
Jeffrey De Prince... aargh, does my head in this, rings a bell (in motorsport), but even Google is letting me down. I so need a memory
Dr. Death ? But the easy answers are: I live near Antwerp and about 40 km from Brussels. So gimme a shout when you are over next time
Jeffrey De Prince... aargh, does my head in this, rings a bell (in motorsport), but even Google is letting me down. I so need a memory
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Mattybr5@MB Developments
Full Cars Breaking For Spares
38
17 July 2016 10:43 PM