I mean, he’s not wrong, but how is that an argument. It’s worse over there.. Doesn’t mean it’s good here.
Stating a strike isn’t a solution is actively misleading the populace.
Same as pushing the responsibility away from the government and towards the social partners. It’s a know issue that employers have put their feet on the table and are not just refusing to move, but demanding wages be lowered and the index system abandoned.
Meanwhile we have a government saying to just use the system. Trust the system. If you’re falling, you’re not doing it right, it’s your fault for not doing it right.
For some reason I’m reminded of this bit of text from The Conquest of Bread(1906):
>Enough of ambiguous words like “the right to work,” with which the people were misled in 1848, and which are still used to mislead them. Let us have the courage to recognize that Well-being for all, henceforward possible, must be realized.
>When the workers claimed the right to work in 1848, national and municipal workshops were organized, and workmen were sent to drudge there at the rate of 1s. 8d. a day! When they asked that labour should be organized, the reply was: “Patience, friends, the Government will see to it; meantime here is your 1s. 8d. Rest now, brave toiler, after your lifelong struggle for food!” Meantime the cannons were trained, the reserves called out, and the workers themselves disorganized by the many methods well known to the middle classes, till one fine day they were told to go and colonize Africa or be shot down.
Sure, the part that’s left after being taxed into oblivion is indeed pretty well protected. Pity you don’t buy a lot with those crumbs.
t’s no surprise Belgium has some of the lowest wealth inequality while being a rich country, and having some of the strongest labour laws in the world. Our koopkracht is protected by ourselves, successfully (compared to other countries). De Croo would love to dismantle the very bedrock of what makes Belgium so resistant to these issues.
That said, we have a high tax, and we should be shifting the tax bracket a bit up so the ones who aren’t earning a lot can get a bit more. I’m definitely in the more well off category and I wouldn’t mind at all paying a bit more for the essential workers in sectors like the service industry that are getting paid absolute minimum. Or, you know, figure out why our energy distribution network is so damn expensive.. That would help people with a low income dramatically, instead of throwing more money as a subsidy to the energy market..
I’m not sure the index system still works. What goes into the ‘basket’ is changed almost yearly. How is it a good indicator of the real inflation people experience? The big joke is that energy is not included – something that is as essential as bread and water. Another stupid example is the price of a ‘smos hesp’. Used to be around €2,40 when I was 17 and is now easily around €4,80. I’m 27. That’s a yearly inflation of 7,2%…
So, I don’t think it protects our purchasing power at all. In fact I think it worsens it. By increasing our wages, we are only making ourselves less attractive workers and giving no incentive to businesses to keep their prices low.
Voka: hold my beer…
Look at places where it’s going better not worse
Beeing second to last and they acting proud on being not last.. smh
If the benchmark for our country basically boils down to “look, they have it worse than us so we’re doing great”, then God help us all.
And the inflation is higher in Belgium then anywere in the Eurozone.
Edit: sorry, using numbers from February
The index protects our purchasing power, but the wage law restricts our wages so that we haven’t had any increases in our purchasing power either for more than a decade, unlike our neighboring countries…
fuck decroo
De voorzitter van de grootste partij van uw regering protesteert vandaag mee tegen uw regering. Stop er gewoon mee.
Our government debt is increasing by the minute. Oh and it will hurt in the future. We need structural changes. Less government, activation of the unemployed and less tax on labor. Promote being active and willing to work. Now to the writing table, thank you.
I make 25-26K a year, as a single male without childeren living on his own I pay 52,6% taxes on the total amount. (https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20220524_97147874)
I made €25.277,48 in 2021, after taxes I’m left with €11.981,53.
I spend €1200 a month on rent, food, heating, etc.
12×1200= €14.400 wich is about 2500 short off what I need in a year for basic necessities.
clothing, traveling, having a beer with friends are all things I save on as much as possible.
I know my calculation is way off, lots of taxes are calculated into the price of items. I just know that in the last 2 years I didn’t earn enough to live so i had to dip into my savings…
I say they are both wrong. Employees and employers. Stand together and demand labor taxes to be lowered. Gross doesn’t need to be raised and net is raised. Common enemy : government.
De Croo? Zwaar overdrijven met ongefundeerde stellingen? Surely not!
16 comments
I mean, he’s not wrong, but how is that an argument. It’s worse over there.. Doesn’t mean it’s good here.
Stating a strike isn’t a solution is actively misleading the populace.
Same as pushing the responsibility away from the government and towards the social partners. It’s a know issue that employers have put their feet on the table and are not just refusing to move, but demanding wages be lowered and the index system abandoned.
Meanwhile we have a government saying to just use the system. Trust the system. If you’re falling, you’re not doing it right, it’s your fault for not doing it right.
For some reason I’m reminded of this bit of text from The Conquest of Bread(1906):
>Enough of ambiguous words like “the right to work,” with which the people were misled in 1848, and which are still used to mislead them. Let us have the courage to recognize that Well-being for all, henceforward possible, must be realized.
>When the workers claimed the right to work in 1848, national and municipal workshops were organized, and workmen were sent to drudge there at the rate of 1s. 8d. a day! When they asked that labour should be organized, the reply was: “Patience, friends, the Government will see to it; meantime here is your 1s. 8d. Rest now, brave toiler, after your lifelong struggle for food!” Meantime the cannons were trained, the reserves called out, and the workers themselves disorganized by the many methods well known to the middle classes, till one fine day they were told to go and colonize Africa or be shot down.
Sure, the part that’s left after being taxed into oblivion is indeed pretty well protected. Pity you don’t buy a lot with those crumbs.
t’s no surprise Belgium has some of the lowest wealth inequality while being a rich country, and having some of the strongest labour laws in the world. Our koopkracht is protected by ourselves, successfully (compared to other countries). De Croo would love to dismantle the very bedrock of what makes Belgium so resistant to these issues.
That said, we have a high tax, and we should be shifting the tax bracket a bit up so the ones who aren’t earning a lot can get a bit more. I’m definitely in the more well off category and I wouldn’t mind at all paying a bit more for the essential workers in sectors like the service industry that are getting paid absolute minimum. Or, you know, figure out why our energy distribution network is so damn expensive.. That would help people with a low income dramatically, instead of throwing more money as a subsidy to the energy market..
I’m not sure the index system still works. What goes into the ‘basket’ is changed almost yearly. How is it a good indicator of the real inflation people experience? The big joke is that energy is not included – something that is as essential as bread and water. Another stupid example is the price of a ‘smos hesp’. Used to be around €2,40 when I was 17 and is now easily around €4,80. I’m 27. That’s a yearly inflation of 7,2%…
So, I don’t think it protects our purchasing power at all. In fact I think it worsens it. By increasing our wages, we are only making ourselves less attractive workers and giving no incentive to businesses to keep their prices low.
Voka: hold my beer…
Look at places where it’s going better not worse
Beeing second to last and they acting proud on being not last.. smh
If the benchmark for our country basically boils down to “look, they have it worse than us so we’re doing great”, then God help us all.
And the inflation is higher in Belgium then anywere in the Eurozone.
Edit: sorry, using numbers from February
The index protects our purchasing power, but the wage law restricts our wages so that we haven’t had any increases in our purchasing power either for more than a decade, unlike our neighboring countries…
fuck decroo
De voorzitter van de grootste partij van uw regering protesteert vandaag mee tegen uw regering. Stop er gewoon mee.
Our government debt is increasing by the minute. Oh and it will hurt in the future. We need structural changes. Less government, activation of the unemployed and less tax on labor. Promote being active and willing to work. Now to the writing table, thank you.
I make 25-26K a year, as a single male without childeren living on his own I pay 52,6% taxes on the total amount. (https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20220524_97147874)
I made €25.277,48 in 2021, after taxes I’m left with €11.981,53.
I spend €1200 a month on rent, food, heating, etc.
12×1200= €14.400 wich is about 2500 short off what I need in a year for basic necessities.
clothing, traveling, having a beer with friends are all things I save on as much as possible.
I know my calculation is way off, lots of taxes are calculated into the price of items. I just know that in the last 2 years I didn’t earn enough to live so i had to dip into my savings…
I say they are both wrong. Employees and employers. Stand together and demand labor taxes to be lowered. Gross doesn’t need to be raised and net is raised. Common enemy : government.
De Croo? Zwaar overdrijven met ongefundeerde stellingen? Surely not!