Here is an overview.
1.Pellets
We announced it to you at the beginning of the week, an aid of 250 € will be granted to people who heat themselves with pellets. A measure planned until the end of March 2023. Please note, this check cannot be combined with the fuel oil check. The terms have yet to be confirmed, but we are moving towards an online form (as for fuel oil), which will be available as soon as the law is implemented.
2.gas and electricity
a) The check for €100
This is the simplest measure for the consumer, since all individuals were entitled to it and most of the time, the amount was automatically deducted from the electricity bill between April 15 and July 31, 2022. If you did not have this automatic deduction, there is still time to claim it until Saturday, October 15, via the f online form. 135,000 Belgians who had not had the reduction have already applied.
b) The reduced price energy package.
It is a deduction on the bill in November and December. It amounts to €135 for gas and €61 for electricity. This deduction is not for everyone: it is intended for individuals who have a variable contract or a recent fixed contract (renewed after October 1, 2021, therefore at a high rate)… That is 50% of contracts. The deduction will be automatic on recent variable and fixed contracts, much like the €100 deduction on electricity. But contrary to appearances, this measure does not work blindly: the richest households will “return the money” through taxes. For them, the tax administration will consider the intervention as a taxable benefit. Who are the rich for the state? People whose annual income exceeds the threshold of €62,000 net for a single person, and €125,000 for a couple, i.e. 15% of the highest income (dependents must obviously be included in the calculation).
c) The extended social tariff
This measure, extended until March 31, 2023, grants the rate linked to the status of beneficiary of the increased intervention (BIM status) not only to people with disabilities, but also to people with reduced incomes.
3.To VAT
a) Electricity and natural gas
the reduction from 21% to 6% – from March 1, 2022 for electricity, and from April 1 for gas – has just been extended until March 31, 2023.
b) Energy-related investments
This concerns solar panel types (photovoltaic and thermal), solar water heaters and heat pumps are also affected by the 6% VAT reduction. Old buildings already benefited well before the crisis, those less than 10 years old see the reduction extended until the end of 2023. The Prime Minister announced that banking products will be developed with the aim of widening access to ‘energy saving.
4.excise duties
The government has decided from March 19, 2022 to reduce the special excise duty on fuel. This measure has been extended until March 31, 2023 and concerns diesel used as fuel and gasoline at €144.6281/1,000 litres, excluding 21% VAT (i.e. a reduction in the sale price at the pump of €175 €/1,000 liters VAT.