Doctor association is SME
"We are actually an SME, which has personnel and costs and makes a profit," says Dr De Schepper. "That legal foundation is important. Today we see how the tax authorities are causing problems for partnerships in hospitals. The difference is that we have one legal entity with the CVBA, in which medicine is practised. All the doctors within the association are self-employed. Our fees - paid by the patients, with or without third-party payment scheme via the health insurance - are collected by the hospital, but according to the law, they belong to us. We have an arrangement with the hospital to reimburse the costs of our activities, and of course we also have to bear our own costs for our private practices outside the hospital itself. The balance is our profit, which is divided among the partners. A big difference between us and a company is that we are currently not liable for VAT, except for our participation in scientific studies."
More than just accounting
"I had an accountant from the first day, and due to a personal connection with Vandelanotte senior, choosing Vandelanotte was a no-brainer. Accounting and taxation is still the first and most important issue today, but when the company was set up, we needed separate legal advice. Not only did various contracts have to be drawn up, but also statutes and internal regulations. Since Vandelanotte already has a number of medical groups as clients, they played an important role for us there."