Water board tax to rise 8.4% in 2027

Waterschap Limburg, the regional water authority, will raise its water board tax by an average of 8.4 percent in 2027. The money is needed for investments in flood safety, clean water, and dealing with water nuisance and drought across the whole province, including South Limburg.

What is happening?

The executive board of Waterschap Limburg has presented a budget to its general board. It shows that the organisation will keep investing heavily in the coming years. For 2027 alone, this involves almost 362 million euros. Up to and including 2032, this amount rises to nearly 1.7 billion euros. A large part of this money goes toward replacing and modernising pumping stations, weirs, wastewater treatment plants, and dikes. The approach is changing: instead of only holding water back, the water authority is increasingly focusing on fitting water into the landscape. This means new projects that retain water longer and better protect the province against flooding and heavy rainfall. To pay for these investments, tax revenue will rise by an average of 8.4 percent in 2027. Businesses and farmers will see even bigger increases: about 8.6 and 10.7 percent. Tax rates will keep rising after 2027 too, with increases of 6.9 percent in 2028, 6.2 percent in 2029, and over 5 percent in 2030. The budget will be discussed in a committee meeting on 4 November. The general board will make a final decision on 25 November.

What does this mean for you?

For a single-person household, the increase in 2027 means about 25 euros extra per year. For a multi-person household with a WOZ value (the official value of your home, used for tax purposes) of 390,000 euros, it means around 41 euros extra.

• The increase applies to all residents in Waterschap Limburg’s area who pay water board tax.
• This rise comes on top of earlier increases and will continue in the coming years.
• You do not need to do anything yourself: the tax is adjusted automatically.
• If you have trouble paying, you may be able to request a payment plan or a tax exemption from the water authority.

Good to know

More details about the budget can be found in the original article by L1 Nieuws.