Property tax has risen by an average of 2.5% this year, above the government agreed increase for the fifth year in a row, according to research by home owners association VEH.

The OZB tax is based on property values and accounts for some 8% of local authority spending. The government had set a 1.6% average ceiling on the tax for this year.

In the big cities, however, taxes are much in line with last year. In Amsterdam and The Hague, the tax is virtually unchanged from 2015, while in Rotterdam it has been cut by 0.7%

In some places, however, property taxes are up by far more than the agreed maximum. In the Limburg town of Meerssen, for example, the tax is up a whopping 37%. In Ridderkerk, however, the tax has been cut by 17%.

The VEH wants the government to take action to make sure local authorities keep to the maximum tax guidelines.