Brussels residents can purchase up to 500 service vouchers each year which can be used to compensate domestic cleaners at the set price of €9 for an hour's work.
The government has now decided to raise the price of the first 300 service tokens to €10 and thereafter, tickets will cost €12.
The move is an effort to protect the region's budget as well as put more money in the pockets of professionals who are paid with the cheques, who also receive an additional top-up from the government for each voucher that they earn.
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With the government covering some of the costs, cleaners actually earn €17.50 for an hour's service – up nearly €5 since 2016. The Planning Bureau predicted that this could rise to €19, at which point the government decided to intervene.
Brussels' Employment Minister Bernard Clerfayt (DéFI) told Le Soir that this rise "is much less than inflation," adding that "had we not adapted this price it would have probably reached over €11."
Disagreements about the government's contribution to fund service vouchers almost derailed budget discussions two weeks ago, with ministers eventually capitulating to Clerfayt's demands for increased funding.
