The Tax Shelter

Since 2003, the Tax Shelter has met with uninterrupted success. Thousands of Belgian companies have taken advantage of it in operations worth almost 200 million euros per year.

These funds collected from Belgian businesses have been used to finance Belgian and European films where production expenditure has been incurred in Belgium.

Since the introduction of the Tax Shelter system, the volume of audiovisual productions filmed in Belgium has more than doubled, while since 2017, the mechanism has been extended to include the "performing arts".

Useful information for European producers

• To benefit from the Belgian Tax Shelter, the project must be recognised as European under the EU’s AVMS (SMA) Directive.

• Projects can be certified on a monthly basis by the Ministry of Culture through the submission of a straightforward application file.

• The amount of financing that can be raised is directly linked to both the eligible Belgian expenditure and the overall European expenditure. “Eligible” means a cost paid by the production company to an individual subject to Belgian income tax or to a company subject to Belgian corporate tax.

• Net financing available generally ranges between 40% and 45% of eligible expenditure, capped at approximately 20% of the total European spend and up to a maximum of around EUR 5 million.

• Local producers typically cash-flow the Tax Shelter at no additional cost, which lowers financing costs and reduces the risk for other financiers.

For more information about the Tax Shelter, you can also visit scopeinvest.be