Today's Top Stories - July 25, 2012

 

Belgium’s financial authorities want to crack down on expenses fraud by paying closer attention to restaurant receipts submitted by professionals and contractors with their tax returns. In its latest circular, the Federal Public Service for Finances ruled that restaurant VAT receipts mustn’t be automatically be accepted as valid expenses. Expenses deemed “unreasonable” or “exaggerated” will be rejected and, worse still, may lead to the Inland Revenue’s 309% ‘monster fine’ being applied as a penalty. Fiscal experts fear that the new measures will lead to arbitrary and disproportioned fines being handed out. “Taxpayers are from now on at the mercy of their tax inspectors,” says Michel Maus, professor of taxation at the Flemish University of Brussels.

 

 

 

Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne revealed this morning he would soon start a new career as head of the European Astronaut Centre (EAC), based in Cologne. The EAC was founded in 1990 and is responsible for the training of all European astronauts as well as non-European astronauts flying to the International Space Station. De Winne himself received his training in Cologne. As head of the organisation, he will be in charge of over a hundred staff. “We have six new, young astronauts. They must be trained as soon as possible so that we can send them on missions to the ISS. Beyond that, we’re also going on space explorations to the Moon and possibly even to Mars, for which we have to be prepared,” he told VRT radio.

 

 

 

A long-distance quality coach service was launched linking Brussels with Lille and Paris on July 23. The SNCF service iDBUS provides four buses a day between Brussels and Paris (two direct, two via Lille) in addition to buses to London and Amsterdam from Paris and Lille. From this autumn the service will be increased, providing nine return trips to Paris and five to Lille. The buses leave from Brussels Midi, Paris Bercy and Lille Europe train stations. The price for a one-way ticket is from €33-45; one third of tickets are available for €5 until the end of 2012. Departure times are 6.25 and 17.25 (via Lille), 11.40 and 19.00 (direct Paris). The journey time is four hours between Brussels and Paris, one hour and 30 minutes between Brussels and Lille. Reservations from www.idbus.fr

 

 

 

Angry Liège metal workers have written to Belgian Olympic International Committee president Jacques Rogge expressing their “disgust” at the choice of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal to carry the Olympic flame tomorrow (Thursday). Mittal is the CEO of the world’s largest steel and mining company ArcelorMittal which closed Liège blast furnaces, along with other European sites, in 2011. The Liège trade unions said the choice of Mittal was an insult to Liège steel workers and the 3,000 families affected by the decision. His company built the commemorative observation tower ArcelorMittal Orbit in London’s Olympic Park, designed by Anish Kapoor.

 

 

 

The number of foreign footballers plying their trade in Belgium’s Pro League is now – ever so slightly - higher than that of homebred ones, Het Nieuwsblad reports. The 2012-2013 season starts on Saturday and, out of 433 registered players, 216 come from Belgium while 217 come from abroad. Sporting Charleroi has the record number of foreign-registered players on its books (67%), followed by reigning champions RSC Anderlecht (61%). At the other end of the spectrum, OH Leuven (14%) and Cercle Bruges (22%) demonstrate that it is possible to play top-flight football in Belgium using local players. The situation isn’t helped by the fact that Belgian footballers are currently ‘flavour of the month’ in the irresistibly more attractive (both competitively and financially) English Premier League.