CEO of Liège Aiport, Laurent Jossart, has maintained his residency in Luxembourg, with experts saying this move is advantageous from a tax point of view not only for himself but also for his employer, who can make substantial savings in tax contributions, Le Soir reports.
Laurent Jossart has been the CEO of Liège Airport since 1 December 2021 - after having held senior positions at LuxairGroup and then G4S, both in Luxembourg. Since taking the job in Liège, he has remained a resident of the Grand Duchy.
Having resided in Luxembourg since 2006, Jossart has teleworked there since spring 2022 for about 30% of his time – the rest of his working time is spent at the airport.
Laurent Jossart is therefore only being taxed for about 30% of his income in the Grand Duchy – where the marginal tax rate is much lower. For example, the highest rate in Belgium (50%) applies to any taxable income exceeding €41,350, whereas on the other side of the border, the maximum rate (42%) applies to incomes exceeding €200,000.
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"The tax pressure on remuneration is much lower in Luxembourg than in Belgium," confirms tax lawyer Denis-Emmanuel Philippe from Bloom Tax. "And if it corresponds to reality, there is nothing legally wrong with it. Employer contributions are also significantly lower in Luxembourg, which benefits the airport.
Family man?
The fact that the head of a Walloon public company lives abroad a third of his time, in a European tax haven, may appear to be a way of circumventing the government decree and its limit on remunerations of €285,000.
"It's true that it can raise questions, and it has caused quite a bit of debate internally," agrees Laurent Jossart.
Then he explains: "It was initially planned when I was hired that I would return to live in Wallonia but for family reasons and alternating custody - this was not possible in the end and I telework about a third of my time. This tax split was therefore necessary."
This tax split, therefore, still meets the requirements of Belgian and Luxembourg legislation. The "teleworking" amendment to the employment contract was unanimously approved by the remuneration committee and then by the airport's board of directors, as well as by the Walloon public service. It is not yet effective - one of the airport's shareholders still has to validate it - but when it is, it will be retroactive.
