Water boards need 260 million euros more in taxes for their budget this year than in 2022. This is partly due to the increased costs they have for energy. In total, water boards will levy more than 3.5 billion euros this year, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) calculated.
Households, farmers, companies and nature managers pay the taxes to the water board that is active in their region. Such a water board is responsible for water management, so for example the prevention of flooding and the purification of waste water.
The 21 water boards in the Netherlands expect to levy around 1.9 billion euros this year for the construction or maintenance of dykes and other flood defences. Water treatment requires 1.6 billion euros.
Rising costs
The Association of Water Boards already warned last autumn about the rising costs and the consequences for water board levies. The umbrella organization then counted on an average of 12 euros more in taxes for water boards for single tenants and 30 euros more for families with their own home. In addition to the sharp rise in energy bills, water boards also need that money for investments to adapt water management to climate change.
Families with their own home have lost the most this year in the Scheldestromen Water Board in the province of Zeeland. With an average value of their home, these households pay 551 euros. The levies for multi-person households with their own home are the lowest in the De Dommel Water Board in North Brabant. They pay an average of 288 euros.