The Belgian Supreme Court recently confirmed that Belgian tax authorities cannot hide behind the text of the domestic law to deny Belgian taxpayers the benefit of the Belgium-France tax treaty. (1971 protocol; 1999 protocol; 2008 protocol; 2009 protocol.)
The case is a classic example of double taxation of dividends. French dividends are taxed at source at a reduced rate of 15 percent, and the net dividends are taxed again in Belgium upon their distribution to a Belgian resident. The income tax treaty grants taxpayers a foreign tax credit, which the Belgian tax authorities refuse to honor.
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