Average tax refund is worth almost 1,500 euros

Statistics show that an increasing number of Belgian citizens is receiving money back from the state coffers in recent years after completing their annual tax form.

Figures for 2014 indicate that this is the case for 53 per cent of the 6.7 million tax payers. This is mainly due to the fact that these people are paying too much tax on their wage during the year. Tax rates have not been adapted yet after the latest fiscal reforms, which means that a rising number of people are paying too much. On the other hand, there are more opportunities to declare something and claim a tax refund in a certain area after making expenses.

The Belgian taxman has to refund almost 5.3 billion euros for the fiscal year 2014, which is 1,445 euros on average for those that are lucky enough to get a refund. There are also 1.7 Belgians that have to pay extra as their tax form ends up in the red. They are paying 1,819 euros extra on average. This generates 3.1 billion euros in revenues for the federal government.