Another year has rolled around, and 2022 is well underway. The Dutch government has already made a number of changes to national law, but do you know what the new year has in store for the Dutch capital? Here’s a quick overview of all the changes you can expect in Amsterdam in 2022. 

Amsterdam tax in 2022

Every new year brings (slight) changes to taxation in Amsterdam, and 2022 is no different: 

• Higher waste tax: The annual tax for waste collection will increase to 331 euros for single-person households, and to 441 euros for multi-person households.
• Lower real estate taxes: Anyone who owns a home in Amsterdam will pay slightly lower taxes in 2022, as the tax rate falls from 0,0428 percent to 0,0420 percent.
• New advertising tax: In 2022, the municipality has introduced a new tax on public advertising, in the hopes this will reduce the amount of advertising in public spaces.

Taxation and coronavirus

As was announced in 2021, the municipality has relaxed some tax rules for businesses as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This year, the introduction of tax on events has once again been postponed to January 2023. In addition to this, the municipality won’t charge tax on the use of public land for (expanded) terraces and passenger’s vessels.

Weesp joins municipality of Amsterdam

The city will become a little larger this spring, as Weesp officially joins the municipality on March 24. Ahead of this municipality merger, the city of Weesp will host a week of activities to “show all Amsterdammers what it has to offer.”

Municipal elections on March 16

This year will see residents in the Dutch capital vote for their new city council, as well as for the district committee and Weesp management committee. The elections will be held on March 16, and voting will also be open to expats.

Transport and traffic

January 1 brought a change to the city’s rules for additional public transport (AOV). From 2022, residents over the age of 75 will only be eligible for an AOV pass if they have a disability, and anyone using their AOV pass to travel using RMV transport will now only be able to travel a maximum of 1.500 kilometres per year.

The new year also brings new environmental regulations for freight traffic and buses within the A10 ring road, which should hopefully reduce pollution and result in cleaner air. 

Environment and nature

A so-called food forest (voedselbos) will be planted in the Amsterdamse Bos this autumn. A food forest is designed to be a biodiverse and low-effort form of agriculture, that requires little to no fertiliser or pesticides and provides sustainable food production.

The municipality is also working on the creation of a new public park in Amsterdam Southeast on the Gaasperdammertunnel, which should open in the spring.