05h33 – 500 euros tax-free – A parliamentary green light expected Thursday after months of blocking

The House will approve in plenary on Thursday, except surprise, the bill on 500 euros tax-free. This very controversial measure will allow salaried workers, self-employed workers, pensioners or jobseekers to carry out "useful activities for society", either from individual to individual or in the service of a non-profit organization. They will also be able to generate revenue by contributing, through an approved platform, to the collaborative economy of type Airbnb or Ubereats. These benefits may reach 500 euros per month exempt from taxes and social contributions. This vote will mark the final endorsement of the "agreement of the summer" concluded by the federal government a year ago, after months of discussions and tensions between majority partners. This compromise forged by the Prime Minister Charles Michel allowed a reform of the corporate tax, dear to the N-VA, a taxation of securities accounts, obtained by the CD & V in exchange for the impossible taxation of the most -values, and "the 500 euros" wanted by the Open Vld. Delayed to be translated into legal texts, the measures only won the parliament late in late 2017 and the opposition turned when it was invited to vote a mbad of projects and proposals in record time. The parliamentary machine has stopped and the measure on the 500 euros has paid the price. The measure provokes an outcry from all sides. In a rare unanimity, trade unions and employers have expressed their fears of unfair competition and a deregulation of the clbadical economy. The Neutral Union of Independents (SNI) did not mince words, even threatening electoral reprisals, while Unizo announced an appeal to the Constitutional Court. The non-profit sector has also expressed concern. After the Wallonia-Brussels Federation relayed its grievances, it was finally the French-speaking Brussels (Cocof) which, for reasons of political arithmetic, triggered a conflict of interest motion freezing the bill for several months. . The resultant consultation did not result in a solution: the federal government maintained its project. The text first came to plenary on 7 June but the opposition called for the opinion of the Council of State on amendments. This one has been returned. Nothing should stop the vote on Thursday. The saga, however, will experience a last episode in a few weeks. A restorative law will be tabled shortly to solve a problem of date of entry into force, remove the supervision of youth movements from activities giving entitlement to 500 euros tax-free and raise the ceiling for sports monitors up to 1.000 euros (without exceed the annual ceiling of 6,000 euros). (Belga)

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