ARGENT
Increase in social tariffs for electricity and gas
Social tariffs for electricity and gas will increase on July 1, after falling slightly in the second quarter due to a reduction in VAT.
Social tariffs for electricity will increase by an average of 7.4% compared to current prices, according to the Creg, the federal energy regulator. The single tariff for electricity will reach 24.613 cents per kilowatt hour, including VAT, compared to 22.907 cents in the second quarter. For natural gas, the social tariff will rise by 8.7% to 3.093 cents per kWh, against 2.846 cents at the moment. The social rate is a reduced rate reserved for certain categories of people or households, such as those entitled to integration income, tenants of social housing or beneficiaries of the income guarantee for the elderly (Grapa) . It is the same for all energy suppliers and is set every three months by the Creg. The federal regulator stresses that the increase in social tariffs is capped. Without this, they would have increased on average by 36% for electricity and 225% for gas.
Possibility of electronic payment in all shops
Businesses will have to offer their customers at least one electronic payment method from July 1, 2022.
The measure is contained in the program bill approved by the Chamber last March. Merchants will be free to offer any electronic payment method they wish. Cash payment will also always be possible. The measure is part of the fraud prevention plan. Through this, the Minister of Finance, Vincent Van Peteghem (CD&V) hopes to create an effect comparable to that of the introduction of smart checkout in the Horeca.
A reduction of 3 euros per year on the gas bill
The transmission tariffs of Fluxys, the gas network operator, will decrease by 10% from July 1. The impact on the ordinary consumer’s gas bill will however remain limited with a reduction of 3 euros per year on average.
“For a small consumer, it is indeed not a lot. But for large consumers, like certain companies, it can represent several thousand euros”, underlines a spokesperson for Fluxys. This reduction corresponds to a total amount of 45 million euros returned over 2022 and 2023. Transmission tariffs represent only a small part of the total gas bill. In normal times, they weigh up to 3 to 4% of the bill, but in the current context of very high gas prices, transport tariffs only represent 2% of the total.
According to the authorities, with this new test, Belgium will take a step ahead of other European countries in terms of detection, and therefore the fight against pollution.
End of savings accounts at Rabobank.be
Rabobank.be will close its savings accounts on July 1, a further step in the gradual winding down of activities in Belgium. The money still in these accounts will automatically be placed in current accounts. Customers will then have an additional three months to transfer their money to another bank.
The Dutch group Rabobank announced in June last year that it was ending its savings activities in Belgium – Rabobank.be – after the search for a buyer failed. It will close its last accounts on September 1. Term accounts have already been closed previously. Any money still with Rabobank.be after the end of its activities will not, however, be lost. It will be transferred to the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) of the FPS Finances. It can be recovered there up to 30 years after the transfer (via the e-DEPO digital application). Rabobank.be has existed in Belgium since 2002. The savings bank has long attracted savers with high interest rates. In recent years, its activities have been phased out. In 2018, investment products were notably taken over by Keytrade Bank and, in 2019, corporate accounts were abolished. Rabobank’s wholesale division (large corporate services) in Belgium will continue to operate.
MOBILITY
Indexation of the kilometer tax in Brussels and Flanders
Brussels and Flanders will index the kilometer charge on July 1.
The new tariffs will apply to all heavy goods vehicles, Belgian or foreign, with a maximum authorized mass of more than 3.5 tonnes, as well as to towing vehicles of category N1 semi-trailers bearing the bodywork code BC. The software of the OBU, or on-board unit, this device installed in heavy goods vehicles to record the number of kilometers traveled on toll roads, will be automatically updated. Wallonia has already indexed prices on 1 January.
A new test for the particulate filter during the technical inspection
A new test for particulate filters will be added from 1 July when examining diesel cars passing technical inspection. The test is implemented in the three Regions with the same refusal thresholds. All vehicles of categories M1 (passenger transport) and N1 (goods transport) whose anti-pollution standard is at least Euro 5 are concerned by this new test. The other types of vehicles will be subject to the same control in the near future.
A measurement of less than 250,000 particles/cm3 indicates that the filter is working properly and that the vehicle is in order until the next technical inspection. Between 250,000 and 1,000,000 particles/cm3, a non-penalizing remark is provided and the owner must monitor the operation of the filter and take corrective measures if necessary.
Beyond 1,000,000 particles/cm3, a red card will be issued with a driving ban and the obligation to present the vehicle after repair.
The measure is aimed above all at fraudsters, people who knowingly drive with a defective filter or who remove it. Vehicles emit up to 480 times more particles when filters are damaged, worn out or removed.
HOBBIES
You will now need a permit to acquire an animal in Wallonia
Anyone wishing to buy or adopt an animal in Wallonia must, from July 1, present an extract from the central file of environmental crime and animal welfare. This will make it possible to prove that the purchaser is not subject to a ban on possession or forfeited of his license to keep a pet.
This permit was, until now, tacitly issued to all citizens and could be withdrawn in the event of an animal welfare violation. The extract from the central file will be issued by the municipalities. For people not residing in Wallonia, it can be requested by mail from the SPW Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment. Shops, shelters and breeding farms must keep a register of purchases or adoptions which will include the reference of the extract from the central file and keep it for 5 years in order to be able to present it during any controls.
New rules in force this summer for electric scooters
While electric scooters are flourishing on our streets, the government has decided to regulate their use in order to improve road safety and reduce the number of accidents. The new rules will apply from July 1.
Concretely, the driving of these motorized vehicles will be prohibited for those under 16, except in pedestrian areas, residential areas and meeting areas, areas reserved for games, as well as on reserved paths (Ravel type). From this summer, it will also be forbidden to ride an electric scooter on the sidewalks and to transport passengers (other than the driver) on board these vehicles. Adapted parking zones and prohibited zones will finally see the light of day by means of specific signage. In the absence of ad hoc signage, parking on the sidewalk will always be authorized, provided that it does not impede the passage of pedestrians and other users. The new rules listed above will apply to all motorized transport vehicles, i.e. motor vehicles with one or more wheels and whose maximum speed is, by construction, limited to 25 km/h .
A new tourist pass for Wallonia available from July 1
The new VisitWallonia tourist pass will be available via an application, a sign of the desire to digitize the Walloon tourism sector, and in paper version from July 1, the competent regional minister, Valérie De Bue (MR) announced on Monday. This version of the pass succeeds the check worth 80 euros launched in 2020 and will no longer be limited in number or time. It will be accessible to everyone and in four languages.
WORK
The simplified procedure for temporary unemployment ends
The classic procedures for the introduction of temporary unemployment will apply again from July 1. After June 30, it will no longer be possible to use the flexible temporary unemployment procedure for force majeure due to the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. It had been in force since March 2020.
This means in particular that the normal formalities in the context of the introduction of temporary unemployment for lack of work for economic reasons must be respected, explains the National Employment Office (Onem). It is therefore again necessary to satisfy the strict definition of force majeure in order to be able to introduce temporary unemployment due to force majeure, such as the total impossibility of performing the employment contract. However, a number of flexible transitional provisions apply until December 31.
ENVIRONMENT
End of the tolerance period for Euro 4 diesel vehicles in Brussels
The tolerance period for Euro 4 diesel vehicles in Brussels will end on July 1 under the new LEZ (Low Emission Zone) requirements, implemented in January 2018. This means that drivers of these vehicles are now exposed to a fine of 350 euros if they drive in the capital.
Initially due to end on April 1, the tolerance period had been extended until June 30 due to the significant delays in the delivery of vehicles. These problems remaining, the Brussels government has however agreed to extend beyond July 1 the warning period for owners of Euro 4 diesel vehicles who will be able to provide proof of an order for a new vehicle placed before January 1. last
TELEPHONY
Voo raises some of its rates
The Walloon telecom operator Voo will increase some of its tariffs from April 1 in order to adapt to the acceleration of inflation. These price increases will vary between 1 and 2.50 euros per month. In all, 35 rates will be increased. The subscription to cable television will for example increase from 22 euros to 23.50 euros per month, an increase of 18 euros per year. For offers marketed since November 2019, the increase will be between 1 and 2.50 euros. It will be between 55 cents and 2 euros for previous offers.
Voo usually adapts its tariffs on July 1st, but due to the acceleration of inflation, the operator had to adapt its timetable. All updated prices can be found on the operator’s website in the tariffs section