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🇧🇪 Belgium /Economy & Trade

Herentals Property Owners to Update Home Details for Fair Tax Assessment

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Around 850 Herentals property owners will be asked to provide details about their bathrooms and heating systems.
  • This is to correct inaccuracies in property records, where homes are listed as lacking these features, impacting cadastral income calculations.
  • Accurate cadastral income is crucial for determining property tax, and the city aims for a fair distribution of tax burdens.

Herentals is undertaking a significant initiative to ensure fair property tax assessments by reaching out to approximately 850 property owners. These homeowners will soon receive letters from the city and the Federal Public Service Finance (FOD Financiën) requesting updated information about their homes, specifically concerning the presence of bathrooms and heating systems.

The core issue is that many properties in Herentals are currently registered in official records as lacking bathrooms or heating. This inaccuracy directly affects the calculation of the cadastral income (KI), which is the basis for determining the annual property tax. By gathering correct data, the city aims to rectify these discrepancies and ensure that property taxes are calculated fairly based on the actual comfort and features of each home.

Nathalie Van Sande, the city's finance alderman, emphasized that this update is a method to achieve a fair distribution of the tax burden. "At this moment, there appear to be 850 houses in Herentals without a bathroom and heating, while in reality, this is the case," she stated. She added that this is the first time the city has organized such an update, noting that it has been a long time since the cadastral data was last revised.

At this moment, there appear to be 850 houses in Herentals without a bathroom and heating, while in reality, this is the case. This is a way to achieve a fair distribution of the burdens arising from the cadastral income.

— Nathalie Van SandeThe finance alderman explaining the reason for the letter campaign and its goal of fair taxation.

Homeowners who receive these letters are obligated to respond with an updated version of their property's layout. Failure to do so could result in further action from the FOD Financiën. The city is collaborating with the finance service to ensure the correct calculation of cadastral income after receiving the updated information. Van Sande also pointed out that many other municipalities are undertaking similar updates, highlighting the importance of accurate property data for fair taxation.

Residents with questions can find more information on the city of Herentals' website or by contacting the city's service desk. This effort underscores the city's commitment to equitable treatment of its citizens by ensuring that tax assessments accurately reflect property conditions.

It has been a very long time since an update was last done, so it was really time.

— Nathalie Van SandeCommenting on the overdue nature of the cadastral data update.
About this summary

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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