On 20 July 2006, the European Commission announced that it had sent Belgium a formal request to end its discriminatory taxation of dividends paid by foreign companies to Belgian private investors. The case reference number is 2005/4504. The request is in the form of a reasoned opinion which is the second stage of the infringement procedure under Art. 226 of the EC Treaty. If Belgium does not reply satisfactorily to the reasoned opinion within 2 months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Details of the Belgian rules and the Commission's reasons for finding...