Sponsor of Sportpaleis donates hundreds of millions of euros to charities

AFAS previously introduced a four -day working week – while retaining wages – for all staff. The sixty employees in Kontich in Antwerp would also get to work in that new system.

Specifically, the Mars and Van der Veldt families – Owners of AFAS Software – donated 30 percent of their shares to two foundations that support charities in the past year. “With us it’s all about love,” says CFO Arnold Mars. “For employees, customers, partners, suppliers and the world around us.”

The foundations that the shares receive are old acquaintances for AFAS. The Mars and Van der Veldt families have been giving part of their assets to the Pharus and Contribute foundations for years. “They are active in more than thirty countries worldwide, with more than a hundred projects,” it sounds. “Among other things in the field of food supply, education, biodiversity, community strengthening and health care.”

Pharus and Contribute now receive a share in AFAS. They do not get control in the company but they do get a dividend. That dividend is estimated at 20 million euros per year. Last year AFAS had a turnover of 325 million euros – 127 million of that was net profit.

Rich people were able to donate their assets to a charity in the Netherlands until last year without having to pay taxes on it. The AFAS families would also have used this. From this year on, such a gift will be considered a profit benefit. That measure criticizes the northern neighbors, because the charity would fnut.