Belgium’s Economic Inspectorate has issued 98 official fines for undeclared self-employment since the start of the year, according to reports in Het Nieuwsblad and reported by Belga.
The Economic Inspectorate said the 98 fines represent only part of the total number of offenders. The cases involve people selling products or services through channels such as Instagram or Vinted without registering as self-employed or as secondary self-employed workers.
Federal Consumer Protection Minister Rob Beenders (Vooruit) said an Instagram profile can quickly become a shop and that, while this encourages entrepreneurship, it cannot be used as an excuse to ignore the rules.
“An entrepreneur who operates correctly pays taxes and social security contributions and meets the necessary obligations. Those who don’t follow the rules can operate more cheaply. This creates an uneven playing field compared to entrepreneurs who do everything by the book," the Economic Inspectorate told Het Nieuwsblad.
Related News
- Belgian citizenship: How you get it, what it costs, and how long it takes
- Cost of living: How does Brussels compare with other major European capitals?
- Freelancing? How to set up as a self-employed worker in Belgium
Activities such as selling cakes online or offering nail treatments at home are only permitted if the person is properly registered. Otherwise, the work is considered clandestine labour.
This differs from illegal undeclared employment, where someone works for an employer without the employer officially declaring them.
According to the Inspectorate, people who have only just started their activity usually receive a warning first, followed by a later inspection.
When minors are involved, their parents are also questioned, with the initial focus placed on information and awareness.
Last year, the Federal Public Service Economy carried out 961 inspections linked to clandestine labour. They found an offence in 16% of cases, resulting in 51 warnings and 124 official reports.
[custom-related-posts title="Related Posts" none_text="None found" order_by="title" order="ASC"]
