2023-05-15 18:20:00
If you own a second home on the Belgian coast, it will soon cost you more. Most municipalities have decided to increase taxes on this category of housing.
Carine De Jans owns an apartment in Nieuport and she has just received her annual secondary residence tax in her mailbox. “It was a famous shock‘, she says. “I feel disadvantaged compared to the people who live here. We feel like cash cows.“
In terms of second residence, the municipalities do what they want. La Panne and Ostend have just increased by 12% and Nieuport by 13%. That is 868 euros in La Panne, 1123 euros in Ostend and 1100€ in Nieuport.
These are the biggest increases. Blankenberg, for example, decided not to change anything at this level. The amount remains 1099 euros.
“We have to deal with rising costs for the city“, this Geert Vanden Broucke, bourgmestre de Nieuport. “For prevention, fire and police services. It should also be noted that the value of apartments increases every year. Nieuwpoort becomes ‘The Place to be’“.
Owners protest
The owners explain that they bring in money. “We go to the shops, to the supermarkets, to the market“, says Carine. “We buy everything here. In fact, it’s a punishment because we have a second residence.“
Several owners have tried to challenge the tax in court. They were dismissed.
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