Home owners face an average increase in local property taxes of 2.4% next year, according to current affairs show EenVandaag.

The programme bases its claim on an investigation of charges at 109 of the country’s 400 plus local authority areas, carried out by a home owners’ lobby group.

Despite the government’s 3% ceiling on property tax rises, a number of councils have put up the tax by far higher percentages. Top of the list is Zevenaar with a 16% rise. At the same time, 17 councils are cutting their OZB charge. They include Arnhem, where property taxes go down by 7.3%.

Even though property prices have fallen by an average 20% over the past five years, property taxes have gone up up by a similar amount, the research, by home owners’ association Vereniging Eigen Huis, shows.

Property taxes are based on an official house valuation, known as the WOZ value.

The home owners’ association is campaigning for a change in the way local property taxes are levied. At the moment tenants do not pay towards local authority services.