Property Tax (ozb) Increase Too High

This year's increase in property tax, onroerendezaakbelasting (ozb), is higher than allowed. According to the research institute COELO, the ozb income of the Netherlands will increase with 3.86 percent this year, where a maximum increase of 2.76 percent was agreed.

The ozb-tariff is a percentage of the value of a property (woz-value). The average ozb cost in the Netherlands is 251 euro per year.

Nu.nl reported that Minister of Home Affairs, Plasterk, will discuss the increase with the association of Dutch municipalities, Vereniging Nederlandse Gemeenten (VNG). In his opinion, municipalities have to compensate residents for the extra costs.

The VNG said that municipalities increased the ozb only because there were no other solutions. Since this is the second time in a row the increase is too high, the financial situation of municipalities has to be critical. “No alderman wants to be remembered as the ozb-increaser”.