Costs for homeowners are higher this year than previously thought | NOW

Many municipalities have increased the burden on homeowners this year more than previously thought. According to the annual housing costs survey by Vereniging Eigen Huis (VEH), for which all municipalities were questioned, the real estate tax (property tax) and waste tax in many municipalities have increased by more than 10 percent.

The increase in property ownership in particular is greater than expected, VEH writes. An earlier sample in December showed that the tax would increase by about 3.1 percent this year, but the new sample rolls a plus of 5.3 percent.

In municipalities such as Amsterdam, Ermelo, Renkum and Nunspeet, the property tax even increased by more than 20 percent compared to 2020. In addition, the waste levy increased by about 7.8 percent, which is 0.5 percentage points more than expected in December .

Many municipalities are in financial trouble due to the increasing costs of youth care, among other things. They also spend a lot of money on supporting people who cannot live independently without supervision. More and more municipalities say they have no other choice than to increase the property tax. These costs would increase by about 7 percent annually.

VEH previously called on the cabinet to prevent additional property tax increases for this reason. A petition about this was signed by more than 135,000 people. The interest group for home owners thinks it is unjustified that the property tax is increased to cover the deficits of the municipality. In this way, according to VEH, only homeowners contribute to the rising health care costs of the municipality.