Waste tax pushing 5% increase in municipal housing costs: Homeowners Association

The housing costs homeowners have to pay to their municipalities will increase by an average of 5.2 percent this year, higher than last year's 3.4 percent increase and the expected inflation of 1.3 percent. The biggest increase is in waste tax this year, up by a record 9.5 percent on average, according to a study by homeowners association VEH.

Waste tax is increasing this year because municipalities have to pay more for their residual waste going to landfills or incineration. This tax increased from 13 euros per ton of waste to 31 euros per ton last year. Many municipalities are passing these costs on by increasing waste tax.

On average, waste tax is increasing 9.5 percent this year. In 157 municipalities, this tax is increasing by more than 10 percent, and in six municipalities by more than 50 percent. Etten-Leur residents are seeing the biggest increase in waste tax, paying 151 euros more for the collection of household waste than last year. An increase of 64 percent. Residents of Ooststellingwerf, Lansingerland, Sint-Michelsgestel, and Lingewaard will all pay between 86 and 103 euros more this year.

VEH also warned that municipalities are increasing their property taxes in order to afford the massive amounts of money that have to go towards care tasks and youth care. Last year the association of Dutch municipalities VNG warned that these costs would increase by 7 percent per year. "VEH believes that clear agreements must be made between central government and municipalities about the funding of these care tasks," the homeowners association said. "Budgetary problems should not be passed on to homeowners."

Homeowners in Laarbeek will see the biggest increase in municipal housing costs this year, with the bill on average being 220 euros higher than in 2019. In Etten-Leur, Olderbroek, Waddinxveen and Apeldoorn the housing costs for homeowners are increasing by between 125 and 175 euros.

Of the five largest municipalities in the Netherlands, housing costs for homeowners is highest in Rotterdam at 775.70 euros, 33.05 euros more than in 2019. Utrecht's housing costs increased by 36.93 euros to 762.32 euros, Eindhoven's by 46.26 euros to 723.18 euro. Amsterdam homeowners will only pay 13.90 euros more this year, a total of 656.24 euros. And Den Haag homeowners will pay 597.13 euros, 33.99 euros more than last year.

There are also 19 municipalities in which housing costs for homeowners decreased this year, though mostly with only one or two euros. Homeowners in Westerwolde-Bellingwedde, Koggenland, Medemblik, Haren, and Hoorn can expect a bigger burden reduction this year. In these municipalities, homeowners' housing costs are decreasing by between 21 and 82 euros. .