MR party leader Georges-Louis Bouchez claims to have a “handwritten document” stating that those who hold shares for ten years will not pay a capital gains tax. Bouchez told De Tijd and De Morgen that he has a signed deal with the Prime Minister, which the Prime Minister himself confirmed on TV.
According to Bouchez, “the socialists” have also read this document. He clarified that he does not wish to escalate the issue, noting that a coalition agreement is not akin to a legal text and that specific details will be determined later.
While the provision to exempt savers who hold shares for ten years was included in a draft by the now Prime Minister De Wever, it wasn’t in the final coalition agreement. Bouchez mentioned in De Tijd that the section he referred to was not reviewed before it was publicly released.
Additionally, Bouchez pointed out inconsistencies between the Dutch and French versions of the chapter on the so-called solidarity contribution. He noted that the French version omits the rate for capital gains between €2.5 million and €5 million, implying the rate could be zero if the text is strictly adhered to.
The Dutch version, however, mentions a rate of 2.5%. Bouchez finds the discrepancies understandable, given that the agreement on the capital gains tax was reached during the final hours of marathon negotiations.
He concluded that coalition agreements set out goals, principles, and strategies, with the specifics to be determined by the Finance Minister later.
