Between 6,000 and 8,000 migrant workers live in Helmond who do not contribute to facilities such as cleaning, sports, greenery and roads. The municipality of Helmond is therefore introducing a tax. Home rental companies that house migrants who are not registered in the municipality must pay 4.50 euros per person per night. Not only do migrant workers pay in a fair way, but they also have more rights, according to the municipality of Helmond.
Helmond hopes that the tax will ensure that people who are not yet registered will do so. “Registration in the BRP (ed. Basic Registration of Persons) ensures that migrant workers have the same rights and obligations as all other residents of Helmond,” the municipality writes in a press release. The tax does not apply to migrant workers who are registered.
If you come to work in the Netherlands for more than four months, you are obliged to register with a municipality. Not being registered does not make you illegal, but you are in violation of the registration obligation.
According to councilor Martijn de Korte, migrant workers are ‘an indispensable link in the economy of Helmond’. By registering, they also build up rights such as an AOW pension, social assistance and healthcare allowance. “Helmond stands for an inclusive society, a society in which everyone participates, has equal opportunities and is treated equally and decently. This also applies to migrant workers.”
“Residence tax is much more expensive than municipal taxes.”
According to the municipality, the thousands of migrant workers use ‘all facilities in the city, such as roads, cleaning, sports and greenery, but so far they have not contributed to this’. “The residence tax changes this. In this way, migrant workers who have not registered also pay for our facilities.” The municipality does not know whether there are any noticeable consequences of not paying.
The municipality will impose the tax on the landlords, who can pass on the costs. This concerns private landlords and professional parties. The municipality will enforce this with payment reminders, reminders and writs.
“The residence tax is a lot more expensive than municipal taxes,” says the municipality. That is also why Helmond hopes that as many migrant workers as possible will register. This way they do not run the risk of landlords passing on this expensive tax. “It is also a matter of good entrepreneurship and normal duty of care for your employees,” says councilor De Kort.
Helmond is not the only municipality that introduces a residence tax for migrant workers. For example, the municipality of Laarbeek also introduced a residence tax for foreign workers at the beginning of 2025. The municipality cannot yet say what the results have been. Waalwijk also has a similar residence tax for migrant workers.