GREENING OF BUSINESS MOBILITY

Making business mobility more sustainable is a very important topic for ACV Kader. For many knowledge workers and executives, the private use of a company car is a substantial part of their remuneration package. So it makes sense that we often receive questions on this topic. We’ll list the most frequent ones below.

What will change in the coming years regarding my company car on my pay slip?

As of 2023, the notional amount on which you will be taxed for the private use of your company car will be calculated differently. The more CO2 the car you use emits, the more taxes you will have to pay, and increasingly so.

Will I have a tax benefit if I install a charging station at home?

Yes, but the deduction is limited to € 1,500 and will reduce after 2022. Moreover, the station should meet a number of sustainability conditions.

Can my employer change the type of car he offers just like that?

If you have permission to privately use the car, it is part of your salary, regardless of any contractual stipulations. Your salary is an essential aspect of the agreement between you and your employer. It is not to be changed unilaterally by the employer. The question is what the most appropriate response is when this does happen, and what can be considered a unilateral change. You can ask advice from your trade union on this. Additionally, you’re probably not the only employee in the company affected by this situation. Consider discussing with colleagues how you can enter into a dialogue with the management, whether or not via staff representation.

I have a company car, but I would prefer other transport options. Can I exchange my company car for a mobility budget?

You’re free to ask. And the question will be taken all the more seriously if it’s asked by a group of colleagues. At present, it’s the employer who decides whether or not to open the possibility of a mobility budget. At ACV, we continue to advocate making this option enforceable. Moreover, until now the budget only existed for those people who had already had a company car for at least a year. Pool cars didn’t count. Since 1 January 2022, a mobility budget can also be offered to those who never used their company car for private purposes. Employees are never obligated to accept the offer and exchange their company car. Private ownership of a car is not an obstacle to joining the mobility budget.

Is it true that I can use the mobility budget for housing costs?

If you live close to your workplace, or often work from home, which means that your own home can be considered the main place of employment, you can deduct not only rent, interest, energy or common costs, but also the capital repayments of your mortgage loan from the budget. As a couple, you can each deduct part of those costs from your mobility budget. Or one of you can deduct the entire amount. Costs linked to occasionally working from home, such as the purchase of an additional monitor or an ergonomic chair, cannot be paid with the budget.

I have a mobility budget and my employer is negotiating a new contract with the leasing company, which means that the cost of my car will change for my employer. Will my mobility budget be affected by this decision?

The total amount of the budget will not change, but the costs of the company car which the employer deducts from the budget will. As a result, you may be left with a lower amount to spend on the other pillars. You should be informed by your employer in good time.

If the standards that environmentally friendly cars within the mobility budget should meet change, will my car still be eligible?

The standards in force at the moment an order is placed or a lease contract is signed decide whether or not the type of care is eligible. If those standards change afterwards, they won’t affect your mobility budget.

If my employer terminates may employment contract, which role does the budget play in the severance pay?

The calculation is based on the original budget as stipulated in the agreement, with abstraction of the chosen options.

Do you have any questions about the greening of your company car? Ask them via kader@acv-csc.be