Donation Tax and Estate Planning in Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium which has a coast line with the North Sea is located to the North of France, South of the Netherlands as well as to the West of Luxemburg and the Federal Republic of Germany. This prosperous country, which is a member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, or the OECD, has a long and interesting history which has resulted in people of the French, Dutch and German speaking communities making this country their home. The country has been divided into three administrative regions, the Flanders Region, the Walloon Region and the Brussels – Capital Region. There are a total of ten provinces, three regions, three communities and 589 municipalities in the Kingdom. This research paper has attempted to investigate if the reduced rate of donation taxes in the Flemish Region of Belgium has had an impact on estate planning in Belgium.