In the Netherlands, you have to pay water board taxes if you are the owner or user of a building, property or nature reserve.
There are three different types of taxes (water systems, purification, and pollution), and they are all added up into a single sum on the tax bill that you will receive from your local water board.
Waterschapsbelastingen
As of 2023, water board taxes (waterschapsbelastingen) for a single person household are around €168 euros on average. However, they can vary a lot from one municipality to the next: in some areas, you may be asked to pay as much as €700 euros.
The taxes you pay depends on your household size and property value. For example, a single family household in a property worth around €250,000 can expect to pay €350 euros on average.
Elected officials
The water boards are the oldest form of democratically elected local government in the Netherlands. Water boards are responsible for managing dunes, dikes, quays, and levees to maintain sustainable water levels and providing flood prevention; waterway and polder water level maintenance; and water waste and pollution treatment.
The boards are run by elected officials, and elections happen every four years. The water boards are one of the first elections that most international residents in the Netherlands are eligible to vote it.
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