Dutch municipalities expect to collect €15.3 billion in local taxes and fees this year, up 6.5 percent from 2025. The figures, released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), show that while taxes are still rising, the increase is smaller than in the previous two years, when collections grew by 8.5 and 8 percent.
Local taxes make up about one-sixth of what municipalities earn. The rest comes mainly from the national government. But with central funding set to be cut from 2026 onwards, many councils have been raising local taxes to fill the gap.
What's going up
Four types of charges make up nearly 85 percent of what municipalities collect: property tax (OZB), waste collection fees, sewage charges and parking fees. Together, these will bring in around €13 billion this year.
Property tax is the biggest, with €6.3 billion expected. This is up 6.3 percent from last year. Three things affect how much you pay: your home's value, the number of properties in your area, and the rates your council sets. Home values have been rising across the Netherlands, which pushes up the tax even if rates stay the same.
Among the four largest cities, Utrecht has the steepest property tax increase at nearly 10 percent. Rotterdam and Amsterdam follow at around 5.5 percent, while The Hague has the smallest rise at 2.6 percent.
Parking fees are growing fastest overall, up 8.8 percent to over €1.6 billion. Amsterdam accounts for much of this increase after expanding paid parking zones and raising garage prices due to higher maintenance costs. Rotterdam and The Hague also raised parking charges.
Waste collection fees are up 5.1 percent to €2.8 billion, and sewage charges rose 5.3 percent to €2.2 billion. By law, councils can only use this money to cover actual costs for these services.
Photo Credits: Ymblanter
Passport renewals and tourist tax
The biggest percentage jump is in fees for documents like passports, driving licences and marriage certificates, which are up 15.7 percent to €427 million. This is because passports issued ten years ago, when the validity period was extended from five to ten years, are now expiring. More people are coming in to renew them.
Tourist tax is also rising, up 9 percent to €654 million. Amsterdam alone collects over 42 percent of this total. The city expects more visitors this year, and other towns have introduced the tax for the first time or started charging it for migrant workers staying in temporary housing.
Why councils need more money
Dutch municipalities are bracing for what has been called a "ravijnjaar" or cliff-edge year. The previous government announced cuts to central funding starting in 2026, but the replacement funding system that was promised never arrived. The cuts stayed.
The Dutch Homeowners' Association (VEH) warned in December that municipal housing costs for homeowners would pass €1,000 per year for the first time, averaging €1,001 for property tax, sewage and waste fees combined. In some places like Alphen aan den Rijn and Heemskerk, these costs are rising by 10 to 18 percent.
CBS notes that actual collections usually end up higher than budgeted. In 2024, municipalities brought in 3.6 percent more than they had planned.
