Geert Noels

Geert Noels wrote that students who spoke in the newspaper said they needed a room because they sometimes had classes at 8 AM and otherwise had to travel 20 minutes by train. According to Noels, they therefore felt that they needed an additional allowance. He argued that the system was never meant for that. #studenten #onderwijs #uitkeringen (translated)

Geert Noels wrote that the country would soon have automatic indexing as the only one, while only the number of government jobs would continue to grow. He described this as a situation where everyone would be completely dependent on the government. #indexering #overheid #werkgelegenheid (translated)

Geert Noels wrote that in Belgium, the people who paid the most taxes were labeled as antisocial, while the largest recipients of transfers and subsidies were considered social. According to him, the image did not need to be completely reversed, but it did show a lack of respect and economic insight. #België #Belastingen #SociaalEconomie (translated)

Geert Noels expected that the government would try to manage the budget problem mainly through limited interventions. According to him, it would avoid a large budget and remain in power to prevent a fall from being perceived poorly, but in doing so, it would miss an opportunity to intervene. Without a plan to increase economic growth, the budget would not be in order according to Noels. He wrote that many people in the Wetstraat did not understand that. #begroting #economischegroei #regering (translated)

Geert Noels wrote that his daughter had hope compared to a muscle that needs training. According to him, young people were worried about AI, the climate, shortages, and insecurity. He stated that good policy could provide real hope and called for a plan to be made to prevent a generation from losing hope. #Hoop #Toekomst #Jongeren (translated)

Geert Noels stated that there was a 5% shortage of the GDP, while the government, according to him, could not detain criminals. He called that painful and placed the comment under the hashtag #CoreTasks. #Kerntaken https://t.co/DDR7cZNHJD #BBP #Overheid #Criminaliteit (translated)

Geert Noels wrote that more people needed to work in the private sector and that there was a need for more control over taxes and unjust benefits. According to him, new taxes were not necessary, but more courage was needed to tackle issues. #Werkgelegenheid #Belastingen #Uitkeringen (translated)

Geert Noels stated that the richest 20% of the Belgian population paid 65% of wage taxes, compared to 7% by the lower half. According to him, those taxes financed social benefits and transfers that went back to the lower incomes. He wrote that the tax burden on the highest incomes could not rise further and noted that they had little time and organization to take to the streets. #belasting #socialeongelijkheid #economischbeleid (translated)

Geert Noels wrote that he understood why parties stood up for the majority of the population who, according to him, contributed little. He called it immoral that they defended social abuses in his opinion with an appeal to solidarity and social arguments. #solidariteit #maatschappij #ethiek (translated)

Geert Noels stated that a study by Vooruit estimated the annual cost of corporate taxation at 4.2 to 4.7 billion euros, but according to him, due to significant errors, it actually amounted to about 1 billion euros. He argued that this cost could not be offset by higher taxes, which he believed would cause more harm than benefit; he advocated for better oversight of bogus self-employment. Noels identified the main mistake as the comparison between directors via a management company and employees. According to him, directors were legally self-employed and paid contributions up to a ceiling. This comparison would overestimate the estimate by more than 1 billion euros. Moreover, employer contributions were calculated based on the total labor cost instead of the gross salary, resulting in a calculation of 33 percent instead of 25 percent. Noels also disputed that there were four independent estimates: according to him, they used the same rates and distribution keys. He pointed out that estimate C assumed 24 billion euros in shifted profits, compared to about 15 billion euros in total profits in estimate A. Furthermore, factors such as the tax shift, energy crisis, inflation, the reform of corporate tax in 2017, and Pillar 2 were not included as explanations for the macro figures. Also, liquidation reserves of ordinary SMEs would have been counted as leaks. According to Noels, the study also did not take behavior effects into account, such as substitution, cessation, moving abroad, losses, or bankruptcies, and only included companies with profits. He therefore labeled the note as an unreliable basis for policy and believed that bogus self-employment should be addressed directly. Finally, he urged academics, journalists, and politicians to respect the facts when it came to entrepreneurs and risk-takers. #Vennootschapsbelasting #Economie #Belastingen (translated)

Geert Noels wrote that the memo from Vooruit about management companies contained grotesque methodological and accounting errors according to him. He stated that newspapers and parties could easily expose this and said that entrepreneurs in the country were fair game. https://t.co/ErLtEX2K0E #managementvennootschappen #ondernemen #journalistiek (translated)

Geert Noels wrote that Belgium had approximately 200,000 more civil servants compared to the Netherlands. According to him, if Belgium had the Dutch employment rate, about 750,000 more people would be working, almost all in the private sector. Noels also stated that Belgium had 150,000 more long-term sick individuals than the Netherlands and 300,000 more than Germany. He suggested that addressing these disparities would resolve the budgetary issues. #België #werkgelegenheid #gezondheidszorg (translated)

Geert Noels stated that acquired rights were benefits for older generations that were paid for by younger generations, while, according to him, those young people would not get them anymore because they were unaffordable. He added that he found it unfair that such rights were defended with social slogans, while he believed they were antisocial. #verworvenrechten #jeugd #socialerechtvaardigheid (translated)

Geert Noels wrote that it was typical that in times of savings it was precisely calculated who would suffer as a result. According to him, since many people received something from the government, much more than necessary, it became difficult to make the government focus on its core tasks. https://t.co/f6lGymO9Od #besparingen #overheid #economie (translated)

Geert Noels wrote that, according to him, the extreme left is now doing what the extreme right was once feared for. He stated that the reactions to this were generally justifying, moderating, and understanding, and that people, according to him, remained blind to the consequences. #extreemlinks #politiek #maatschappij (translated)

Geert Noels regretted that De Tijd had again reported unilaterally on management companies during a crucial moment in the budget discussions. According to him, a management company was not a legal form, the number of them was unclear, and estimates were often exaggerated. He also wrote that people working through a company had less protection and accrued rights, such as no unemployment benefits or dismissal protection and a lower pension. Noels asserted that measures had already been taken to make this working method less attractive, including a higher minimum wage and an increase to 18% for VVPRbis and the liquidation reserve. According to him, some professions and responsibilities often made a company necessary. He further wrote that the tax burden was among the three highest in the EU, as were government expenditures, which he claimed amounted to 54% of GDP. The mentioned rate of 35% for management companies, according to Noels, applied as a marginal burden on profits above the minimum wage; with that wage included, the average burden according to him was rather around 37–39%. For employees, he stated that a tax burden of more than 50% applied for most only as a marginal rate. https://t.co/zDUhGzIC0w #BegripBegroting #Managementvennootschappen #Belastingen (translated)