Wages, energy, real estate… 6 good news for your finances in 2023
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Wage indexation…
This is the first good news of 2023 for many Belgians. Even if the wage indexation mechanism only partially compensates for the decline in household purchasing power, it will do some good for the portfolios of more than 500,000 Belgian workers. HR service provider Acerta estimates that on January 1, 2023, the wages of employees in the Joint Commission 200 (which has more than 500,000 employees, more than 60,000 companies) will indeed increase by 11.08%.
Also read: Inflation: will your salary be indexed by more than 10% in January?
In addition (this time to all employees), it is estimated that the net monthly salary of Belgians will increase by at least 50 euros (i.e. 600 euros per year) from January 1, due to the adjustment of the tax scale and the adjustment of tax deduction calculations. RH SD Worx.
“Inflation was very high in our country last year. This not only results in automatic indexation of wages across sectors, but also higher indexation of tax rates, so more of your salary ends up in a lower tax bracket, resulting in a higher net wage.“, we explained on the service provider’s side.
… and revaluation of pensions
After the distribution of the welfare envelope by the government (the social partners who cannot agree), pensioners, social workers, welfare recipients, etc., will be paid over the next two years. more than one billion euros will be distributed. .
For pensioners, this will result in an increase of 2% on minimum pensions from 1 July 2023, 2% for pensions from 2018 onwards and 1.2% for pensions which started before 2008. Holiday pay for pensioners will also increase by 3.8%. % May 1, 2023.
Energy
Will energy prices fall permanently in 2023? In Moustique, like everywhere else, we are not equipped with a crystal ball. However, many experts do not expect gas (and therefore electricity) prices to drop in the coming year. Small consolation: energy bonuses at the federal level will be granted until March 2023 (€135/month for gas and €61/month for electricity), unless the government decides to extend them. VAT, which was reduced to 6% for gas and electricity, should also be reduced by the end of March.
The increase in European loans provided by the RePowerEU plan will result in the reinforcement of certain energy grants for renovation and insulation at regional level in Belgium. Walloon authorities have announced that renovation grants and support schemes will soon be expanded and diversified as part of the Climate-Energy Plan (PACE).
A little more affordable savings
This is a move that has been going on for several weeks at several banking institutions. Belfius and KBC group banks, for example, have announced that they will raise the base rate on savings accounts from 0.01% to 0.35%. Loyalty bonus will increase from 0.10% to 0.15% for Belfius and from 0.10% to 0.25% in KBC group.
Also Read: These are the top-grossing savings accounts in 2022
“Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that other (big) banks will follow suit.“, Test Achats spokeswoman Julie Frère announced in the Echo, admitting that this increase alone will not save the household budget.
Real estate: notary fees are low
If there is not only good news for real estate in 2023 (property taxes will thus increase to a record 9.6%), we should nevertheless note this: certain costs associated with the purchase of goods will decrease. This will be the case for notary fees; A fixed amount will be required from January 1 (administrative costs are loosely set until then) and notary fees will be reduced for buying a family home with a purchase price of less than or equal to €850,000, according to the Echo.
Also read: Three tips for buying your first property
We can also hope for an increase in tax relief on registration fees in Brussels and to a lesser extent in Wallonia. For example, the tax relief will cover the first tranche of 200,000 euros, against the current 175,000 euros in the Brussels region, from April 1. This means a saving of 25,000 euros.
Also read: Real estate: why you shouldn’t trust EPB certificates, this foolproof tool
Extended maternity leave
From January 1, maternity leave will be 20 days instead of the previous 15 days. The employee will receive his normal salary for the first three days, then he will receive benefits from the health insurance fund from the 4th day. These leave days can be used for free in the first four months after childbirth.
Another measure of interest to single-parent families: From January 1, the price of orphanages and subsidized reception services in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation will be reduced by 30% for single parents.
