Mortsel (Eurotoday) – Mortsel will increase local taxes from 2026, raising income tax from 6.5% to 7.5% and property surcharge from 830 to 895 %. Mayor Michiel Hubeau cites €1.3 million extra police costs.
As VRT News reported, residents of Mortsel, in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, will face higher local taxes from next year under the new multi-year plan for 2026 to 2031.
“We had hoped that the financial situation would be better, but unfortunately, we have to intervene to make our city financially healthy again,”
Hubeau regrets.
What do higher taxes and €1.3M police costs mean for Mortsel residents?
The city will raise the additional tax on personal income from 6.5% to 7.5%. The surcharge on property tax will rise from 830% to 895%. These increases mean households will pay more on their yearly tax bill and on the levy tied to the cadastral value of their homes.
Mayor Hubeau says Mortsel is dealing with extra pressure because federal and Flemish authorities continue to shift new tasks to local governments without offering extra support. He mentioned that the city must now cover more duties in areas such as social care, public safety, and infrastructure with its own funds. The council says the higher tax levels bring Mortsel closer to the norm in Flanders and will help protect long-term projects.
Mortsel is facing high costs after the split of the police districts. Since the start of this year, Borsbeek is no longer part of the Minos police zone following its merger with the city of Antwerp. City officials say the change adds €1.3 million in extra expenses every year.
“We do it in a way where the strongest shoulders have to contribute a little more than the narrower shoulders.”
Michiel Hubeau (Green), mayor of Mortsel
The city council reports that these higher police costs come on top of rising expenses across several services. Because of this, Mortsel cannot balance its budget with one-off actions.
“We can’t cover this shortfall by selling a property or postponing an investment, so we all have to chip in.”
“But we do this in a way where the strongest shoulders have to contribute a little more than the narrower shoulders,”
the mayor emphasises.
Officials say all planned investments have been reviewed to see which projects can be delayed, adjusted, or reduced. Even after this review, the city says long-term measures are still needed to keep services running. Without structural changes, Mortsel warns it will face serious difficulty in covering the ongoing costs linked to the police reorganisation.
Comments
19 responses to “Mortsel Increases Income Tax to 7.5%, Faces €1.3M Police Costs”
Oh, brilliant move, Mortsel! Nothing says “we care about the community” quite like slapping on a tax hike while the police costs skyrocket. At this rate, we’ll all need a second job just to cover the taxes for our first one! 😂
So, Mortsel is just casually bumping up taxes to “help” cover police costs, eh? Because who wouldn’t want to pay more to enjoy a “financially healthy” city—sounds like a real win-win! 😂💸
Oh, brilliant move, Mortsel! Who needs a budget anyway when you can just tax your way to financial health? 💸🙄
Typical Mortsel—why not just raise taxes and let the residents fund the police like they’re putting a tip in a pub? 🍻 With all that extra cash, I’m sure the streets will be paved with gold… or at least shiny new ticket books!
Increasing the income tax to 7.5%? Brilliant! Because who wouldn’t want to pay more for extra police that we didn’t ask for, right? 💸🙄
Tax hikes and police costs? Just what every resident dreams of—can’t wait for the next “surprise” in the mail! 😂 Cheers to tighter wallets and a more “secure” future, eh? 🍻
Seems like Mortsel’s new tax plan is just the ticket for a city that’s really got its priorities in check—who needs a balanced budget when you can have a shiny new police bill? 💸🇧🇪
Oh, wonderful! Just what we needed – a tax hike and a sprinkle of police costs to spice up our already thrilling lives in Mortsel. 🍷💸 As if we weren’t already experts in the fine art of making ends meet!
Oh joy, another tax hike in Mortsel! Just what we needed to sweeten the deal for those already scraping by – who knew police costs could be so entertaining? 😂💸
Oh, fantastic, just what we needed – a charming little tax hike to go with our morning coffee! ☕️ At this rate, we’ll be paying more for police protection than for our own homes! 🏠💸
Looks like Mortsel’s idea of fiscal fitness is to put the ‘fun’ back in ‘funding our police costs’—who knew a tax hike could feel so exhilarating? 😂 Time to tighten those belts, eh?
Oh brilliant, nothing like a nice tax hike to keep the locals on their toes! 😅 I suppose the mayor thinks €1.3 million in police costs is just a cheeky little change for a city that’s already doing so well, eh?
Oh, brilliant move, Mortsel! Nothing like a good ol’ tax hike to make the locals feel like they’re funding their own police force—who needs a budget anyway? 💸😏
Oh brilliant, just what Mortsel needed—a shiny new tax to fund the police! Because who wouldn’t want to pay more for the privilege of living here? 😏💸
In Mortsel, where the taxes are now going up faster than the price of a decent pint, it seems that the mayor believes we all have “strong shoulders” to carry their €1.3M police bill. Cheers to contributing more for the same old story! 🍻💸
Oh brilliant, just what we needed – a tax hike and a €1.3M police bill. Who knew being a local resident would be such a luxury? 😂💸
Looks like Mortsel’s new motto is “pay more, get less,” eh? I guess the extra police costs are just our local way of ensuring we all feel safe… and financially secure… not! 😂💸
Oh, brilliant! Nothing like a good tax hike to spice up the dreary lives of Mortsel’s residents—who needs a break when you can fund a €1.3M police force instead? 🙄💸
Oh, fantastic! Just what we needed—a tax hike so we can pay for the privilege of seeing our local police force go on an expensive shopping spree. Cheers to Mortsel for making us all feel a bit more ‘contributing member of society’—not that we had a choice, right? 😂
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