In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, many measures have already been taken to support the economy as much as possible during these turbulent times. It is already clear that the impact will be enormous and that the cash buffer built up by some companies will not be enough to survive this crisis. Measures such as deferrals on paying tax and social debts, temporary unemployment due to economic reasons and the Belgian State’s guarantee scheme for bank loans will not suffice for some.
To tackle the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, three new measures to strengthen the liquidity and solvency of businesses in Belgium were submitted to the federal parliament in a draft bill on 5 June 2020.
1° Anticipated tax deduction of losses (individual income tax and non-resident individual income tax)
What is it about?
The taxable result generated in income year 2019 (tax assessment year 2020) can be exempt from tax up to the (estimated) professional losses to be suffered in income year 2020 (tax assessment year 2021).
Thomas Cook Belgium and Brussels Airlines may escape fines from the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) notwithstanding the conclusion of an agreement providing for anticompetitive practices according to the Investigation and Prosecution Service of the Authority.
In August 2017, the BCA had opened an investigation into potential anticompetitive practices resulting from the conclusion of a "Commercial Service Agreement" between Thomas Cook Belgium and Brussels Airlines.
Since 1 January 2017, the law explicitly provides for a general option for the National Social Security Office (“NSSO”) to recover undisputed debts by means of a writ of execution.
This means that the NSSO can provide itself an enforceable title (a writ of execution) without having to rely on the labor court.
The recovery through a writ of execution can be used for all contributions, penalties, interests and other amounts that would be due to the NSSO. It is, however, important that it concerns debts:
(i) that are not fundamentally disputed;
Les multiples réformes menées par le Ministre de la Justice Koen Geens se traduisent également dans les procédures d’insolvabilité. Avant la réforme annoncée de la loi sur les faillites et de la loi sur la continuité des entreprises, la loi du 1er décembre 2016 modifiant le Code judiciaire et la loi du 8 août 1997 sur les faillites, instaure un Registre Central de la Solvabilité.
The liquidation in one single act is allowed in Belgium since 2012. The following formalities are strictly required:
Principle
In order to secure the protection of judicial reorganization, the debtor needs to attach to the petition for judicial reorganization a certain number of documents provided for in article 17 § 2 of the Law on the continuity of enterprises (LCE). If these documents are not attached to the petition, the LCE provides that the petition shall be deemed inadmissible.
Sedert 1 januari 2017 voorziet de wet uitdrukkelijk in een algemene mogelijkheid voor de Rijksdienst voor Sociale Zekerheid (“RSZ”) om onbetwiste geldschulden in te vorderen door middel van een dwangbevel.
Dit houdt in dat de RSZ zichzelf een uitvoerbare titel (een dwangbevel) kan verschaffen, zonder een omweg te maken via de arbeidsrechtbank.
De invordering via dwangbevel is mogelijk voor alle bijdragen, bijdrageopslagen, verwijlintresten en andere vergoedingen die aan de RSZ verschuldigd zouden zijn. Belangrijk is weliswaar dat het dient te gaan om schulden:
Pour rappel, la convention collective de travail n° 32bis (ci-après « CCT 32bis ») traite tant du transfert conventionnel d’entreprise – chapitre II de la CCT 32bis – que de la reprise d’actifs après faillite – chapitre III de la CCT 32bis.
Le créancier d’une société déclarée en faillite doit effectuer une déclaration de créances auprès du greffe du tribunal de commerce qui a déclaré la faillite en mentionnant le montant de sa créance et le privilège éventuel dont il peut se prévaloir. Dans l’hypothèse où le produit de la réalisation des actifs de la société faillie/en liquidation est suffisant, ce privilège permettra de récupérer à l’issue de la procédure de faillite un éventuel dividende.