Van den Berghen & De Roo, Accountants en Fiscale Juristen

Van den Berghen & De Roo Accountants en Fiscale Juristen is a firm at number 98 Frederik de Merodestraat in Mechelen, close to the Tinel car park. It was founded by Peter Van den Berghen, who graduated in law from the University of Antwerp in 1985 and set up as self-employed in 1986. A certified tax accountant and tax lawyer, he also passed the court expert examination at KU Leuven in 2020, and his expertise is used both for his own clients and at the request of the courts. The company is registered with the ITAA under number 50.783.540, and the firm has nearly forty years of experience.

The management includes two other partners. Desirée De Roo, who graduated with distinction in business management and in accountancy and tax, worked as an accounting, compliance and reporting consultant at EY before joining in 2013. She has been a partner since 2016 and a certified tax accountant since 2018. Jan Van den Berghen, a KU Leuven law graduate with an advanced master's in tax law, gained experience in international tax and corporate income tax at KPMG. He has been a partner since 2016 and a certified tax adviser since 2018. The firm has more than ten experts.

Its clients are very diverse: self-employed people, liberal professions, SMEs, as well as listed multinationals and bodies of the European Union. The firm offers five areas. For start-ups, it draws up the financial plan, helps choose the legal form and registers the company. In accounting, it records expenses, income and the company's financial position in a structured way. Through reporting, it periodically maps the health of the business, identifies bottlenecks and calculates its repayment capacity. Each file is tailor-made and all advice is worked out personally with the client.

The Tax & Legal side covers the various forms of taxation a business faces: levies, taxes on business income and indirect taxes such as VAT. Starting from the accounts, the firm aims for overall tax optimisation. It also supports mergers and acquisitions: restructurings, takeover plans or approaches from buyers. Its news covers bringing articles of association into line with the Code of Companies and Associations, changes in VAT law, the legal interest rate on loans to directors, the supplementary pension for self-employed people without a company and optional VAT on professional property rental.

The firm sees itself as a financial adviser and sounding board for entrepreneurs' decisions, beyond its core work as a tax accountant. It adapts its tasks and support to the size and set-up of the business, and opts for a digital approach where possible. It stresses ethical business, professional quality and a culture of learning and continuous improvement. Fees are based on fixed, transparent agreements, and any fee disputes go to the ITAA arbitration committee. The office receives clients by appointment from Monday to Friday.