Households who heat with oil can claim their cheque for 225 euros from today, Belga News Agency reports.
The allowance is part of the federal government’s measures to reduce the impact of soaring energy prices on purchasing power. The cheque is intended for households who cannot benefit from VAT cuts on gas that the government has put in place, as the EU prohibits VAT cuts on fuel oil.
For this reason, the federal government has opted for a cheque. Initially, it was to be about 200 euros, but as the VAT reduction on gas has been extended to the end of December, the value of the cheque has also been increased.
One million Belgian households (21%) heat with oil or heating oil. In concrete terms, each family that buys or has bought domestic fuel oil or propane in bulk between 15 November 2021 and 31 December 2022 to heat its main residence can apply for the allowance. This applies to both houses and apartments.
The cheque can be requested online or through a paper form.
There is no need for people to hurry, says Economy Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne. The cheque can still be requested until January 10, 2023.
This did not stop 1,000 people from submitting their requests on Thursday morning.
