Today's Top Stories - July 17, 2012

Final call for online tax returns

The countdown has started for online tax declarations. After midnight tonight, the only legal way to fill out one’s tax return will be via an accountant. This may sound like a pricey option but is still cheaper than the financial consequences incurred by a late tax return: a fine oscillating between €50 and €1,250 and a surcharge of up to 200% on any tax owed. And to make matters worse, latecomers’ taxes will be calculated solely on the figures at the disposal of the taxman – who will have two years to do so! The safest – and easiest – option for anyone who hasn’t filled out their tax returns yet, therefore, is to use the official website, www.taxonweb.be before midnight. 

Unnecessary queues for number plates

More than half of the people who turn up at the offices of the Department for the Licensing of Vehicles to apply for a number plate could have done so online and avoided a long wait in the queue. For those who have to apply in person (for example for the registration of an imported vehicle), it will take on average two weeks for the number plates to be delivered. This is an improvement on May, when the wait was five to six weeks, due to a backlog caused by a change of software. Drivers who apply online usually have their number plates sent to them - either to their home address or to a place of their choice - one working day after their data has been processed.  “Thanks to the WebDIV software, more than 8,000 insurers and brokers can grant a licence to a vehicle at any given moment,” explains Thomas De Spiegelaere of the Federal Public Service for Mobility.

Public debt surpasses 100% 

For the first time in eight years, the debt owed by the Belgian State is higher than the total income of the entire population. Public debt rose by €15.6bn in the first quarter of 2012, totalling €377.3bn, claims De Tijd newspaper. The Gross Domestic Product, meanwhile, only rose by €2.3bn, totalling €370.6bn. As a result, public debt now represents 101.8% of the GDP, compared to 98.2% at the end of 2011. The increase in the debt level is not just explained by the budget deficit, but also by the money loaned by Belgium to other countries. Belgium is now the fifth European country whose public debt is higher than its GDP, after Greece, Ireland, Italy and Portugal.

Belgians love their daytrips

In the space of one calendar year, Belgians go on an average of 15 daytrips - an ever-increasing trend. In total, those daytrips amount to €3.7bn, or €24 per person. The findings are the result of a study conducted by research firm WES using a sample of 2,000 respondents. The figures take into consideration all one-day excursions that took place between April 2011 and March 2012, whether in Belgium or abroad. The abundance of special offers for one-day return tickets from train operators such as Thalys and Eurostar plays a small part in the enduring popularity of these trips, but the vast majority of day-trippers opt to stay in Belgium. The three most popular daytrip activities are walking, cycling and shopping.

Hibernian in Belgium for two friendlies

Edinburgh football team Hibernian is in Belgium this week to play two pre-season friendlies. They will take on Belgian Jupiler League teams Lierse on Wednesday, July 18, and Oud-Heverlee Leuven on Saturday, July 21. The Scottish Cup finalists (they lost 1-5 to their arch-rivals, Hearts Of Midlothian) are currently on a whirlwind tour of Europe, which sees them play four matches in three different countries in seven days. Even though the Scottish national team doesn’t feature any Hibs players at the moment, it will be interesting to compare playing styles in the run-up to the two countries facing each other in the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup.