Treaty to stimulate U.S.-Belgian trade

A new treaty signed in December 2007 reduces the tax bite on the estimated 1,200 U.S. companies doing business in Belgium. It reduces double taxation of income, eliminates barriers to trade and investment, and facilitates movement of capital across the two countries’ borders. Bilateral trade between the U.S. and Belgium is valued at $35 billion annually. Among the features of the new treaty:

• An interest deduction for equity invested in a Belgian company or branch;
• A patent income deduction that caps the effective tax rate for patent income to 6.8 percent, substantially lower than the rates in most European countries;
• A new tax regime for pension funds that offers multinational corporations a comprehensive framework for creating pension funds; and
• A 0 percent withholding tax on dividend payments from a U.S. company in Belgium to its parent company, provided the parent company owns 10 percent or more of its Belgian location.

Find out more about how Belgium is trying to attract foreign investment at the Belgian Embassy Web site http://www.diplomatie.be/athens/default.asp?id=2&mnu=2.