Belgium plans to shut down half of its tax offices

Some 22 of the Belgian finance ministry's 43 tax offices around the country will close their doors by 2030 due to the austerity measures of the new federal government.

The decision, which is part of the Horizon 2030 plan, aims to reduce the number of local tax offices to 21 central agencies selected based on various criteria such as accessibility, the possibility of concentrating several services within the same building and optimising the use of administrative buildings.

The stated goal is to improve collaboration between services, but the move is also intended to reduce property costs and modernise working environments.

Finance ministry spokesperson Francis Adyns said that the reorganisation would not affect the quality of services provided, as "efficient services do not in themselves need to be spread across several sites".

The administration is also said to be focusing on online services.

It said that residents who do not have an internet connection or lack digital skills will still be able to contact the tax offices by telephone to ask for help, for example when filling in their tax returns.

These alternatives, along with a rise in remote working, have led to a decrease in the number of people visiting local offices in recent years.

Some 2,000 of the 21,000 civil servants working for the finance ministry will be affected by the reorganisation but the SLFP union indicated that outright redundancies were not on the agenda.

The union is calling for consultation on support measures for staff.

“We have launched a support programme to assist our employees as best we can,” Adyns said, adding that the announced plan would be rolled out gradually.