Brussels Taxation

The regional competencies have substantially increased further to the various reforms of the state, leading to a growing need for fiscal autonomy. By managing its own fiscal income, the region is in a position to develop a judicious fiscal policy and take fiscal measures. To this end, Brussels Taxation was established on 1 January 2012 and on 1 January 2017 it developed further to become a fully independent public service.

This administration had a very clear mission from the outset: on the one hand, to correctly implement the fiscal competencies and on the other hand to manage and collect taxes on a customer-oriented, efficient and effective basis in a credible, meticulous and responsible manner. To fulfil these tasks as well as possible, the government set the Brussels Regional Public Service Taxation the following strategic objectives:

• to ensure effective fiscal administration with motivated officials and quality services;
• to provide the tax service and impose administrative fines so that the budget targets are achieved;
• to carry out a tax reform in order to implement the fiscal policy of the government in an effective, efficient and coherent manner;
• to be the documentation, advice and knowledge centre of the political administration and the other internal and external partners, with a view to ensuring professional and scientific support for the decision-making process;
• to computerise the operating processes and maximise services for citizens and businesses;
• to proactively support and implement new policy or administrative initiatives.

Brussels Taxation also places the emphasis on customer orientation and efficiency, so as to provide high-quality services for taxpayers.

The Brussels-Capital Region faces many fiscal challenges. There is a need, for instance, to revisit environmental taxes and consider moving from tax on work to tax on property. Brussels Taxation will also take over the withholding tax on immoveable property from the Federal Government.

These ambitious aims called for an in-depth reform of the existing fiscal services, which previously fell under the competence of the Finance and Budget Administration. Brussels Taxation therefore invested heavily in a more efficient organisational structure, a new IT application, more efficient processes and procedures and administrative simplification.

Taxpayers in the Brussels-Capital Region must be able to reap the benefits of this transformation to a modern fiscal administration. So account was taken of an improvement in the provision of services, administrative simplification, investment in more online applications, a better information flow and the digitalisation of dossiers.

Brussels Taxation is expanding and developing rapidly. It has set itself the goal of becoming an example of a professional, strong administration. But above all, it wants to be there for Brussels taxpayers by communicating openly and treating citizens and businesses with respect.