The leftist model in Belgian industrial city: lower taxes for residents

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Lower taxes for self-employed and residents in Zelzate, higher for large companies

Zelzate reduces the tax for the self-employed by 100 euros per year. Other residents will also pay less. The environmental tax is being abolished, among other things. The municipality compensates for the tax reduction by allowing multinationals to contribute more.

The municipal council of Zelzate, the only one in Flanders with the radical left-wing PVDA in the majority, announced loudly after the elections that taxes would fall for most residents and the self-employed. Only large international companies, close to the port of Ghent but on the importation from Zelzate, will just have to pay more taxes to make the bill right.

For 650 self-employed persons, the measure means that they have to pay 100 euros less per year. The environmental tax for ordinary residents will disappear. "The tax is unjust," says Mayor Brent Meuleman (SP.A). "We are not going to ask for an honest contribution, not the ordinary citizen, but the strong shoulders in our municipality, the large and multinational companies. Given the profit they make, that would only be peanuts: 0.09 percent." The board estimates the proceeds of this business tax at 420,000 euros.

Investing
Moreover, the new board wants to invest extra: "That was simply not done anymore by the previous board. There will be a new bus square with ten platforms and a new service building." The budget for social policy is also going up, certainly also to tackle child poverty. In Zelzate, one in five children grows up in poverty, which is higher than the Flemish average. "We are releasing 300,000 euros. Among other things, we are going to appoint social workers and, for example, also support people who have difficulty paying school invoices."

Green energy and more trees
Zelzate wants greener energy and therefore invests 250,000 euros in solar panels on the municipal buildings. The board also wants to plant nearly 13,000 trees, good for one per inhabitant.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

This is the model i support for 100% and what I vote for.

[PSOL]

I thought from the title this would be Liege.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

I thought from the title this would be Liege.

Zelzate is the only city where the leftist PVDA is in power. These were the results from the latest election. It's an industrial city / town where PVDA does traditionally well.



These were the latest results in Liege, but in some banlieus PVDA does even better.



This is Seraing, also an industrial city. A 10% rise for PVDA and in total 24%, while the social democrats win 43% and the Greens 10% (liberals also 10%). The far-right party Parti Populaire here disbanded last year.

[Intell]

Wallonia>Flanders

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Wallonia>Flanders

Unfortunately yes. But it's a Flemish industrial city we're talking about.

[Zinneke]

Wallonia>Flanders

Everybody always forgets the best region though...