The annex to the "Budget des Voies et Moyens - Middelenbegroting" is yearly published under the title "Inventory of tax exemptions, deductions and credits having an impact on federal revenue", "Inventory of federal tax expenditures" for short. The Inventory aims to inform the Parliament of the budgetary costs of tax measures, and notably of those which deviate from the benchmark tax system and are thus focused on specific incentive targets which could be reached by direct expenditures. The Inventory aims also to increase budget transparency and to establish close links between tax and direct expenditures.
Given that the Inventory is an annex to the "Budget des Voies et Moyens - Middelenbegroting", it is limited to taxes financing the Federal State.
The Inventory is based on the following definition of "tax expenditure" as initially chosen by the High Council of Finance: lower revenue resulting from tax incentives introduced by a departure from the benchmark tax system relating to a specific tax in favour of certain taxpayers or certain economic, social, cultural activities, etc., and that could be replaced by a direct subsidy.
The introduction describes notably what means "benchmark tax system" for each tax. It also contains details relating to the method used to calculate revenue forgone resulting from tax expenditures. Moreover, the Inventory contains a summary of the major results as well as a detailed table.
The full version of the Inventory of federal tax expenditures is available on the website of the Belgian House of Representatives.
The different parts of the last edition and of the previous editions of the Inventory of federal tax expenditures can be separately downloaded via the links below.
