News item | 31-03-2023 | 4:45 pm
The Dutch water authorities will have better opportunities to apply the so-called benefit principle (who benefits, pays). In this way they can make a better distribution of the water board levies, taking into account the activities of the water board. This can lead to a different distribution between residents, owners of built real estate, owners of undeveloped land and owners of natural areas.
From now on, water boards can also better respond to developments in their own water board, such as global warming, the circular economy, the energy transition and changes in their own water board. Rijkswaterstaat and water boards no longer need to use harmful substances when measuring pollution in wastewater.
These are the most important changes in the water board levies bill. At the proposal of Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Council of Ministers has agreed to send the bill to the Council of State.
New water system levy method
A new cost allocation method for the water system levy is proposed so that the benefit principle can be better applied. The new method is based on area characteristics. The main characteristics here are the number of hectares of nature and undeveloped land. Examples of characteristics that the water boards can also take into account are the number of recreational areas, the degree of agricultural conservation of nature and the number of primary flood defences.
Purification levy
This proposal also ensures that Rijkswaterstaat and water boards no longer have to use harmful substances when measuring pollution in wastewater. This proposal proposes a new method to determine the pollution value of waste water. This is because the current method uses pollutants (such as mercury).
Contribution to transitions
Water authorities will have more opportunities to invest tax revenues in climate adaptation, the energy transition and the circular economy. In the current Water Boards Act it is not always clear to what extent water boards are allowed to invest in this. This concerns, for example, measures to limit rainwater discharge and sustainable energy to become climate neutral. This bill makes it clear that this is allowed.