The Federal Government is stepping up its efforts to collect taxes from Belgian residents who earn a significant portion of their income via online platforms.
From January, platforms will be legally obliged to report to the Belgian tax authorities any individuals who have made more than 30 transactions or have earned more than €2000 via online operators including Airbnb, BlaBlaCar, and eBay.
The new measure aims to comply with a recent EU directive requiring platform operators to collect information on "the income of sellers from commercial activities such as the rental of real estate, the supply/provision of personal services, the sale of goods, and the rental of all types of transport via digital platforms".
"The Finance Ministry will use this information for risk analysis and to support tax audits; in addition, it will exchange relevant information reported by platform operators in Belgium at the international level," a spokesperson for the Ministry told RTBF.
The newspaper also reports that individuals who have conducted more than 30 transactions or have earned more than €2000 over a single year may be tax-exempt. However, people for whom such earnings constitute "miscellaneous and occasional income" will be taxed at 33%, while those who earn the majority of their income from such platforms will be taxed at rates as high as 50%.
