On Tuesday, February 4, the Senate approved an amendment to the water board levies. The Senate voted on the bill Strengthening the application of the principle of benefit in the water system levy. This law gives water boards better opportunities to apply the principle of benefit. Those who benefit pay. The factions of BBB, GroenLinks-PvdA, VVD, CDA, D66, ChristenUnie, SP, PvdD, JA21, SGP, Volt, 50PLUS, and OPNL voted in favor of the bill, while the factions of PVV and FVD voted against.
Rejected motion
- -The motion-Van Langen-Visbeek et al. on postponement of the introduction of mandatory rate differentiation. The minister had advised against the motion.
About the bill
The bill strengthens the application of the principle of benefit in water system levies in the Water Board Act, the Water Act, and the General Administrative Law Act. This gives water boards better opportunities to apply the principle of benefit. Those who benefit pay. This can lead to differences in water board levies between residents, owners of built real estate, owners of undeveloped land, and owners of nature reserves.
Climate change means that water management in the Netherlands will face new challenges in the coming years, such as rising sea levels, variable water supply in rivers, drought, and increased flooding. Therefore, water boards are given more opportunities to use their tax revenues to achieve their objectives in the areas of climate change, energy transition, and the circular economy. A new, more environmentally friendly method of determining the pollution value of wastewater will also be introduced.