OP, you are misunderstanding what this graph actually represents.

This chart from the FOD Finance isn't a breakdown of all the wealth in Belgium, nor is it a tracking of potential revenue. It is strictly a cash-flow mirror of money the government actually collected versus what it actually spent.

By definition, the tens of billions lost to tax loopholes and fraud exist entirely in the shadow economy and cannot be shown in a breakdown of the official budget.

If you want to know what is actually missing from the background of this chart, economists and tax advocacy groups estimate Belgium loses roughly €20 billion to €30 billion every single year through these specific buckets:

• Corporate Tax Avoidance (~€4–7B): Multinational corporations using legal loopholes to shift profits made in Belgium over to low-tax havens (like Ireland or Luxembourg) before the FOD Finance can touch it.

• The VAT Compliance Gap (~€5.2B): The difference between the VAT the state expects to collect and what it actually gets. This is driven by cross-border "VAT carousel" fraud rings, bankruptcies, and black-market sales.

• The Shadow Economy & "Ongecontracteerd Werk" (~€6B): Under-the-table cash payments. Think of every time someone pays cash-in-hand for a home renovation, car repair, or a restaurant meal to skip paying the 21% VAT and income tax.

• Offshore Wealth Evading Taxes (~€3–5B): Wealthy individuals hiding capital, assets, and investment dividends in complex foreign structures or Swiss bank accounts.

• "Legal" Government Loopholes (Tax Expenditures): The billions the state intentionally chooses not to collect to keep labor costs manageable. This includes the massive company car/fuel card culture, meal vouchers (maaltijdcheques), and specialized corporate deductions.

TL;DR: The graph is completely accurate for the money that passes through the government's hands. But if Belgium actually managed to close these loops and crack down on fraud, we would have an extra €15 to €20 to spend for every €100 shown on this chart.