Antwerp alderman Koen Kennis (N-VA) is also said to have confirmed the construction in the municipal council. — © Joris Herregods
A year before the merger with Borsbeek, the city of Antwerp took out a loan of 21 million euros, solely to contribute it as debt. This is what Flemish MP Staf Aerts (Green) says. He talks about “an example of creative accounting that defies all imagination.”
Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 9:38 PM
Due to the merger with Borsbeek, Antwerp is entitled to a 50 million euro debt assumption by Flanders. This debt takeover is a push from the Flemish government to encourage municipalities to merge. According to the Greens, the loan of 21 million euros was taken out in order to be able to contribute as debt and Antwerp alderman Koen Kennis also confirmed this construction in the municipal council.
“The intention of the incentives for mergers is to help municipalities eliminate their debts. Not to take on fictitious debts at the taxpayer’s expense and thus fill the municipal coffers. This is the world turned upside down,” Aerts complains. “Antwerp is already the biggest drain on municipal subsidies. Should they appropriate even more money through this kind of creative accounting?”