De Sutter and Gilkinet want tax cut for low- and middle-income workers

Deputy Prime Ministers Petra De Sutter (Green) and Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) believe that more aid should be provided for a large group of workers with low to modest wages. They announced this in a press release on Monday. They argue within the government for new measures to improve purchasing power.

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“Incomes have to go up. The previous 3 billion aid packages were necessary, but cannot prevent people from having money worries today. Working people with low and middle incomes are at risk of drowning because life becomes more expensive,” the two green ministers said.

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The two deputy prime ministers therefore want a kind of tax cut that will especially affect working people with low and middle incomes. “We are pushing for a so-called tax credit, which means that less withholding tax has to be withheld immediately. Someone who works in the hospitality industry and earns about 1,600 euros gross per month, will then have up to 150 euros more net per month or 1,800 euros on an annual basis. For an employee who earns roughly 3,000 euros gross, it comes down to an extra 40 euros net or 480 euros annually,” they calculated.

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The greatest loss of purchasing power lies mainly in the middle class whose income is just too high for a social tariff. They are visibly impoverishing, according to De Sutter and Gilkinet.

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“People with the lowest incomes in our country are automatically entitled to the social energy tariff and are therefore now protected against price increases. The greatest loss of purchasing power lies mainly in the middle class whose income is just too high for a social tariff. They impoverish visibly. They too must be protected. Everyone sees that it is raining, but not everyone has the same umbrella”, summarize De Sutter and Gilkinet.

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According to the Greens, this can be paid for by making choices. “More and more people are worried about money and the largest assets are partly avoiding the securities tax. That is not sustainable. In addition, the employment rate must be increased. The exceptional gains in the energy sector due to high gas and electricity prices can also serve to improve purchasing power.”

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