Search Q&A
Tax rebate after leaving Belgium
I left Belgium to return to the UK last summer and have today received (much to my surprise) a tax rebate from the Belgian tax authorities for my final half-year in Belgium.
From what I can understand from reading the letter, I will receive in a couple of months an ‘assignation postale’ which can be exchanged for cash at a Belgian post office. This is in spite of the fact that I gave the tax authorities the number of my Belgian bank account (which is still open) into which they could pay any rebate.
They do however state that if I send them details of my bank account together with a copy of my identity card, they could transfer the money directly to the account. However, I am asked to do this within 8 (calendar?) days of the date their letter was sent, and this period has unfortunately already passed due to the inefficiency of either the Belgian or British postal services (or both).
Just wondered if anyone has been in a similar situation and has any advice as to what to do. Obviously I no longer have a Belgian ID card as I am now resident in the UK. Will a photocopy of my passport suffice? Are they likely to refuse any instructions after this (very tight) 8-day period, or are they likely to relax this for foreigners?
I can obviously go over to Belgium and collect the money from a post office in cash if really necessary, but I’d rather not be walking around with over €2,000 on me if at all possible. And would a post office have this amount of money available to hand out without prior warning anyway?
Thanks
I cannot answer the question about whether you are too late to submit details of your bank account for a refund, but for the question about whether the Post Office has enough money, well the answer should be yes. I got my refund through the post office last year, I gave in the refund letter, got handed back a few coins and told to go to the ATM and stick in an anonymous card which is is bank card sized - well I have never done this, it was just a regular ATM, out popped my XXXX euro refund (except for the coinds less than 10 euro I had already received). I walked very self-consciously down the road to the bank and deposited it ASAP. I guess the refund is done in this manner so the Post Office staff do not hand over large sums in cash themselves, the ATM does it for them. IF you haven't closed your bank account and can travel back to Belgium, choose a Post Office near your bank so you can deposit quickly your money without having to walk around too long with loads of cash.
hi, more than an answer i would like to ask you a question. When you left belgium did you need to submit any special document for that tax refund? We are planning to leave belgium and I had heard that you can get the taxes you have paid for that year back .. but i cannot find anywhere any information on how to do it.
thanks
bea
