Higher wages, but also more expensive stamps and lower premiums for solar panels: what will change on 1 January?

Postal company bpost will increase a number from 1 January postal rates hefty. The company points to rising costs due to inflation, wage indexations and falling mail volumes. For example, the non-prior stamp will become 16.8 percent more expensive, from 1.19 euros each today to 1.39 euros from 1 January.

Proximus will raise the prices of a large part of its services on 1 January. It goes according to it telecomcompany for increases of an average of 4 to 6 percent. At competitor Orange, prices will be increased on 15 January.

In 2023, an average family with an average consumption on an annual basis will pay about 17 euros more for drinking water on the water bill compared to 2022.

The premium for whom solar panels installed on a roof in Flanders, will be halved in 2023 to a maximum of 750 euros.

From January 1, it applies in general smoking ban in all 550 train stations in Belgium. This ban also applies in the open air: smoking and vaping are therefore no longer allowed on the platform.

The wages of more than a million employees will increase by more than 11 percent from January. Their wages are adjusted to rising inflation. In many sectors this happens once a year, often on 1 January. The largest group of employees who see their wages increase on January 1 – by 11.08 percent – fall under the joint committee 200. There are half a million of them. This joint committee includes IT professionals, but also employees of call centers or white-collar workers in temporary employment offices or in the graphic industry.

Families entitled to the social allowance of the Growth package, see the amount of that surcharge increase by 15 euros. This increase will take place in December, but will be noticeable for the first time with the payment of the Growth Package in January 2023.