Press Release
For Immediate Release
20 April 2007
Belgian Government Sends Ministry Representatives To ACTE Conference In Response To Association Limosa Inquiry
London, UK --
The Belgian government is sending two ranking officials to the Association of Corporate Travel Executives' Global Education Conference in Miami (May 6-8, 2007) for the express purpose of answering questions and clarifying the Limosa program, which went into effect on April 1, 2007. According to an announcement made today by ACTE's Executive Director Susan Gurley, Limosa Advisor General Karel Deridder and Sarah Scaillet, a representative of the policy department of the Social Affairs Minister, are being sent in response to an official inquiry filed by the association in early April.
The Belgian Limosa authorities will conduct a special presentation at the conference ti
"This effort by the Belgian government will go a long way toward eliminating the confusion in the industry regarding the Limosa program," said Gurley. "The Belgian government is to be applauded for their quick response to our inquiry. Dozens of ACTE members, representing hundreds of millions of euros and dollars of annual travel to Belgium, are impacted by the new law."
Limosa is a program designed to reduce illegal employment in Belgium. It requires corporations to declare the nature of an individual's business in the country, the origin of the business, and certain other financial disclosures for all nonresident employees in the country for more than five consecutive days per month. It asks for sensitive information, such as a home address and a social security number. A potential fine of $8,000 (USD) for each infraction of failing to file could represent a substantial financial blow to companies with offices and plants in Belgium. An additional penalty of imprisonment of up to two years for the foreign employer could also accompany each violation.
A number of ACTE members indicated they were adjusting their travel policies to accommodate the Limosa process, though a small percentage claimed they were shortening their business trips to Belgium to less than five consecutive days per month. A least one firm was planning their trips to fall at the month's end, thereby getting around the regulation by extending trip time to a second month.
The Limosa process spans the jurisdiction of the offices of Labor Law Inspection Department, the Social Security Administration, International Employment, and Work Permit Authorization in Belgium. ACTE contacted several of these ministries, contending there were many unanswered questions about the program and that inadequate advance information had been provided to the business travel industry.
For more information, contact:
Debbie Flynn
CEO
Brighter Group
The Pod, London's Vertical Gateway
Bridges Wharf, Battersea
London SW11 3BE England
T: 020 7326 9880
F: 020 7326 9890
E: [email protected]
W: www.brightergroup.com