Belgian savers and investors paid a record €8.5 billion in withholding tax, stock exchange tax, and securities account tax last year, according to L'Echo.
Provisional figures from the Finance Ministry show an increase of €2.4 billion, or 39%, compared to 2023.
Withholding tax particularly contributed significantly to this rise, increasing by 41% to reach €7.6 billion.
This tax on dividends and interest saw significant growth due to rising interest rates and changes in household asset composition.
Households sought higher returns and moved billions of euros from low or untaxed savings and investment products to more heavily taxed ones.
This shift occurred in a context of heightened competition following the expiry of the 'Van Peteghem' government bonds, L'Echo explained.