Turnhout calls to stop tax discrimination against single people

The Flemish town of Turnhout has announced plans to reduce taxes for single people and put a stop to what it considers to be discrimination against people who are unmarried and without children.

Kelly Verheyen, Socialist alderwoman for the municipality with 43,000 inhabitants in Antwerp province, said the aim was to avoid discriminating against single people in favour of greater equality with households with higher incomes.

"As alderwoman and chair of the special committee for social services, I will help shape the City of Turnhout’s social and housing policy over the next few years," she wrote on her LinkedIn page.

The tax cut proposal, still under discussion, would apply to municipal taxes and waste collection levies. Verheyen would like the measure to come into force in 2026.

While single mothers or fathers already receive certain advantages in Belgium if they have dependent children, with reductions notably for property taxes, there is no reduction for single people in general.