Tax-Shelter

To encourage Belgian or foreign producers to film in Belgium, the Belgian government introduced on 1st January 2003 a powerful inducement tool: a tax shelter. Its prime aim is to promote the Belgian and European audiovisual industry. 

The basic idea is as simple as it is efficient: Belgian companies or establishments of non-resident companies choose to invest in various artistic or commercial productions. The tax system for this type of investment is attractive for partner investors. The sums invested to finance, e.g. feature films, documentaries, auteur films or animation series enjoy tax relief of 50.985%.
Furthermore, the investor may resort partially to the financing by borrowing to limit the risk.

To obtain this help, a part of the expenditures for the film has to be made in Belgium.
The production (or co-production) must be recognised as European according to the “television without borders” directive of 10/03/1989.

It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved. In fact, producing a film or handling its post-production in the Brussels region guarantees an optimal quality work and value for money. It is not only an opportunity to embark on major projects with confidence, but also a means to make an active contribution to the economic and cultural life of a region. And this region is “capital” because it is both the centre of our country and the heart of Europe. The reputation of our cinema has long spread beyond our borders. The tax shelter enables numerous image artists to do even better!

To understand better how the tax shelter can become a real opportunity for you, consult the leaflet that can be downloaded or ordered from the site of the Federal Public Service Finance.

http://www.minfin.fgov.be/portail2/belinvest/en/presentation/who.htm
For more information, please contact:
Madame Michela Ritondo 
General Secretariat
Fiscal Department for Foreign Investments
Rue de la Loi, 24
B-1000 Brussels
Telephone: +32 (0) 257 938 69
E-mail : michela.ritondo@minfin.fed.be

Furthermore, the success of this tax inducement has got private companies, public television corporations, banks and even production companies keenly interested in tax-exempted financing for the audiovisual sector in Belgium.
For more information, go to the “Tax Shelter” section in the audiovisual directory.