BRUSSELS – Fees paid for child minders of under-12 year olds will from now on be tax deductible, it was reported on Monday.

Finance Minister Didier Reynders said the tax deduction had been made possible to help schools cope with children left behind after hours.

Schools have been left with the difficult extra burden of after school care when parents are still at work.

Child minding duties are often taken on by teachers, local government employees or sometimes the unemployed but they are often not paid correctly for the extra work.

[Copyright Expatica 2005]

Subject: Belgian news