Living and working in Belgium
hozzászóló: Tim Stoneway itt Belgium fórum
Well, the salary and the package looks ok for your qualifications. However, keep in mind that Belgian social security contributions and taxes are way higher than UK. You should calculate your 'net' and compare this with the 'cost-of-living' or life standard in the UK. Housing is cheap in Belgium, however, I find the rest more expensive compared to UK or France which I lived before. Belgian VAT is %21 so for every pound you spend, you pay 21 pence to government. There are also additional taxes and fees on everything...This is quite a bit of contrast to UK. Fuel is more expensive too. Having a fuel card means, the company will pay your fuel, so it is a way of giving you some tax free money. If let's say you would spend 200 euros on fuel a month, you need to earn about 320 euros in gross, as you would pay 120 euros for tax and social security. However, if the company pays your bill, it does not show up on your tax bill and the company can deduct it as operating expense (because they also need to pay a portion of the social security contribution on your gross). So both sides are happy. The same goes for meal vouchers, it is a way of giving you tax free money. 14 months means you will get; bonuses on top of your salary twice a year. In Belgium, basic social security does not cover many things, that's why you take an additional health insurance to cover these; however even then your health insurance only pays a proportion of your 'hospital stay'. Assurance Hospitalisation is the additional insurance which covers this. Group pension exists in the UK as well; meaning a portion of your salary can go to a private pension fund. And the government doesn't levy tax on this money. When you reach your pension age, you will get this money on top of your pension. So, in a way you are saving tax, but you can only touch this money in your old days...
About the personal income tax; there are levels and it depends on your family situation. For 2500 euros, you would be considered high-income group and you will probably end up paying around %45, if you are married this can be a few percent less, and if you have children can go down a few more percents.