Families with their own house will pay an average of 30 euros more to their water board next year. A single tenant spends on average about 12 euros more per year.
That is what the Union of Water Boards expects after a tour of 21 water boards in the Netherlands. The increase is mainly caused by investments to absorb the consequences of climate change and rising prices.
“Just like everyone else in the Netherlands, water boards had to deal with major price increases in 2022. The sharply increased energy costs in particular are making a big difference at many water authorities. For some water authorities, the tax receipts this year are insufficient to cover all costs,” says Vincent Lokin, board member of the Union of Water Boards.
He continues: “There are water boards that will pay twice and sometimes almost three times as much for the energy they purchase. The work of the water authorities is also becoming increasingly complex due to, for example, more extreme weather, the higher requirements for clean and sufficient water and of sewage water. This will also be the case next year. The final rates have yet to be determined by the boards of the water boards, but it is clear that water board taxes will rise more sharply in 2023 than in recent years.”
The amount of water board taxes differs from water board to water board. “This is mainly because areas differ from each other. Factors such as low or high-lying areas in the Netherlands, urban or rural areas, the presence of vulnerable nature and many or few dikes determine the requirements for water management and therefore the level of expenditure,” says lokin.
The Union of Water Boards expects an increase in the water board tax for a single tenant from an average of 156 euros this year to 168 euros next year. An increase of 12 euros per year, or 1 euro per month. A family with its own house with a WOZ value of 250,000 euros paid an average of 353 euros in 2022. In 2023, that will be an average of 381 euros. For a house of 325,000 euros, the water board tax increases on average from 376 to 405 euros. And for a house of 400,000 euros, the amount increases on average from 398 to 429 euros.
It is not yet known how high the taxes are imposed by the Drenthe water boards (Hunze and Aa’s, Drents Overijsselse Delta, Vechtstromen and Noorderzijlvest). The water boards will make a final decision on the tax rates for next year in the coming weeks, the Union reports.