Public Service Finance Wallonia and bpost join forces to help people at risk of digital exclusion

Property tax assessments will be sent out to around 1,800,000 owners in Wallonia between early July and early October. ​ A good number of them would like to pay in instalments or claim a reduction they are eligible for. “The Walloon tax administration receives lots of questions at this time of the year and the communication channels are regularly inundated,” says SPW Finances.

SPW Finance and bpost will join forces to drive improvements in terms of proximity and inclusion. Citizens of Wallonia will be welcome at 17 post offices from 7 August 2023 where they will be able to get help to get online to apply for an instalment plan for the payment of a regional tax or claim a reduction in their property tax when their home is modest or they have many dependents, provided they fulfil the criteria set by SPW Finance.

Interested citizens can call the bpost Contact Centre on 02 278 54 32 to make an appointment at one of the participating post offices. They will be welcomed in a private space by the office manager, who will guide them through the process of accessing the online Mon Espace platform where they can fill out the requisite forms.

Jos Donvil, CEO bpost Belgium says: “Thanks to this partnership, there are more contact and support points to request payment of the property tax in Wallonia in instalments. This pilot project is fully in line with our values. Proximity and digital inclusion are at the heart of our services. We are passionate about ensuring our network continues to serve local communities and offering them new services.”

“As we know, a little under a third of citizens find digital technology hard to use. That’s the result of the latest barometer of digital maturity among the citizens of Wallonia. For some citizens, getting anything done online can be a real ordeal. Without forgetting those who simply don’t have an internet connection. So I fully support this partnership between Public Service Finance Wallonia and 17 bpost post offices: an outstanding initiative that fits in completely with our Walloon digital inclusion strategy. This is a great local community assistance service,” says Walloon Digital Affairs Minister Willy Borsus.

Adrien Dolimont, Walloon Budget and Finances Minister: “This pilot project should improve the quality of the service provided to citizens. Some people can find it hard to access information, despite various tools now being available. This joint initiative with bpost will improve community access, as information will be made available at an everyday location. And at the same time, this could also relieve the pressure on the first-line services at the tax administration. We will off course take stock at the end of the project. Assessing how effective our projects are has to become the norm and I will be the first to put this into practice."

List of participating offices:

Note for journalists only, not for publication:

For more information on the Public Service of Wallonia, contact Pauline Bievez, spokesperson of Willy Borsus at pauline.bievez@gov.wallonie.be or by phone on +32 (0) 477 38 45 01. Stéphanie Wyard, spokesperson for Adrien Dolimont, can be reached by email at stephanie.wyard@gov.wallonie.be and by phone on +32 (0) 473 80 66 47.