Mathias Vanden Borre: “Unbearable tax burden on office spaces is driving companies out of Brussels”

The tax pressure on office real estate in the Brussels-Capital Region has spiralled out of control. That’s the conclusion of the new Property Tax Report by consultancy firm Ayming Belgium. “The high costs are systematically pushing companies out of the region,” warns Brussels MP Mathias Vanden Borre. “Brussels has become a fiscal minefield.”

A bureaucratic nightmare for businesses

According to the report, the average property tax in Brussels now amounts to 55.35% of the indexed cadastral income—significantly higher than in Flanders (46.26%) and Wallonia (54.95%). In six Brussels municipalities, the rate exceeds 60%.

“On top of that comes a regional tax averaging 24.92% of the property levy,” Vanden Borre adds. “Office buildings and parking spaces are also often subject to additional municipal taxes, which vary from one municipality to another. For companies operating in multiple locations, this creates an administrative nightmare.”

“Businesses feel like they’re being squeezed dry in Brussels”

The consequences are already visible. “Companies are relocating to the outskirts. Just a few metres further, they pay lower property taxes and aren’t subject to the regional office tax,” Vanden Borre notes.

He believes Brussels is living in denial. “The caretaker government pretends there’s a scarcity of office space and that companies have no choice. But vacancy is at one million square metres and still rising—driven by remote work and excessive taxation. Safety concerns, mobility issues, lack of cleanliness… Brussels has simply become less attractive.”

N-VA calls for reform

Vanden Borre plans to question caretaker Minister-President Rudi Vervoort in parliament about the matter. He is once again calling for a fundamental reform of the tax system for office real estate in the Brussels-Capital Region. “I’ve been advocating for years to harmonise and lower the office tax. But so far, my resolutions and proposals have been dismissed by parliament.”

“There is no vision, no leadership, no willingness to reform,” Vanden Borre concludes. “If Brussels wants to remain an economic hub, it must urgently create a fiscal and administrative environment that attracts businesses instead of driving them away. Failing to act today means being complicit in the erosion of our economic fabric.”