NIJMEGEN – The property tax in Beuningen will increase by 9 percent next year. This is partly necessary because of the high inflation in recent years, says Alwin Steeg, councilor for finance. The city council will have the final say on this during the budget meeting on November 7.
According to Steeg, inflation in 2022 was 10 percent and this year inflation will probably be 6 percent. In 2022, the property tax was only 1.5 percent higher and this year it was 3 percent higher. According to Alderman Steeg, the 9 percent increase in property tax is a kind of correction.
Cutbacks or higher property taxes
The total housing costs in Beuningen will soon amount to an average of 936 euros per household. Nationally this amounts to 944 euros. The municipality of Druten is the cheapest in the region at 866 euros. In Nijmegen, housing costs amount to 1060 euros, the highest amount in the entire region.
Steeg has calculated that a one percent increase in property tax will yield an additional 80,000 euros per year for the municipality of Beuningen. This means that almost 5 euros more must be paid per household. A total of 9 percent equates to almost 43 euros per household. According to the finance councilor, the municipality had two options in principle: either cut back on policy or increase property tax. The council chose the latter.
Balanced budget
Steeg: “The council will offer the municipal council a balanced budget for next year. We are also showing black figures for 2025. From 2026, the government will cut the contribution to the municipalities by 3 billion. This will soon have a major impact on the budget balance, because the contribution from the government is the largest source of income for municipalities.”
Many municipalities therefore refer to 2026 as the “financial ravine”. The council says it is alert to global and national developments. “The complex times in which we live can have major consequences for the financial resources of the municipality of Beuningen,” can be read in a press release from the municipality.