Parking charges to bring councils more than €1.6bn in 2026
Council budgets expect 8.8 per cent more parking revenue than a year earlier.
Councils expect to receive a combined €1.605 billion in parking charges in 2026. That figure appears in council budgets and is therefore not a final amount raised; the increase is mainly linked to the expansion of paid parking and higher charges in major cities.
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) calculated that councils have budgeted €1.605 billion in parking charges for 2026. In 2025, the figure was €1.475 billion. The expected increase is 8.8 per cent and is greater than that of most other major municipal charges.
Parking charges account for 10.5 per cent of all municipal charges. The four largest categories together amount to €13 billion: property tax, waste collection charges, sewerage charges and parking charges. In total, councils have budgeted €15.3 billion in charge revenue for 2026, 6.5 per cent more than in 2025.
According to CBS, the strongest contributions to the increase come from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. Amsterdam expects an additional €43.1 million, Rotterdam €14.6 million and The Hague €9.7 million. In Amsterdam, the area covered by paid parking has been expanded; according to CBS, parking garage charges have also been increased partly because of higher maintenance costs.
Budgeted income is not the same as actual income. Councils may collect more or less than they estimate in advance, for example because charges, parking areas, visitor numbers or payment behaviour change. CBS reports that the most recent complete actual figures for municipal charges relate to 2024.
Parking policy therefore has two sides. For councils, paid parking is a source of income and a way to allocate space in busy areas. For residents, visitors and businesses, it is a direct cost. The expansion of paid parking in particular can lead to debate in neighbourhoods about accessibility, quality of life and the allocation of public space.
The higher revenue figures alone do not show how many cars leave city centres or how much additional traffic diverts to surrounding neighbourhoods. Data on parking duration, occupancy rates, permits and traffic flows would be needed for that. The CBS report concerns the budget, not the effects of the policy on mobility.
Ultimately, municipal councils hold the key. They set charges and areas within the legal framework. The figures show that parking charges are becoming more financially important, but do not automatically determine whether a council should pursue more or less parking policy.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Councils have budgeted €1.605 billion in parking charges for 2026.
- The budget is 8.8 per cent higher than in 2025.
- The figures do not directly say anything about effects on traffic or quality of life.
Left
Arguments Emphasises that public space is a public amenity and that higher parking charges can disproportionately affect people on low incomes and small businesses.
Values Affordability, social equality and liveable cities.
Consequences Fears that expanding paid parking will widen mobility inequalities and calls for affordable alternatives such as public transport and residents’ schemes.
Centre
Arguments Sees paid parking as a tool for allocating scarce space and helping to cover council costs, but wants charges to be supported by local data.
Values Efficiency, proportionality and local government.
Consequences Emphasises that revenue should be spent transparently and that councils should monitor effects on neighbourhoods and businesses.
Right
Arguments Highlights the boundary between regulation and taxation and believes councils should be restrained in raising income from motorists.
Values Property, freedom of choice and low taxes.
Consequences Fears that higher charges will drive residents and businesses out of cities and favours more efficient council management over new levies.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The financial figures and the explanation of the difference between budgeting and actual income were checked directly against CBS and NOS. The text makes no unsubstantiated claims about effects on traffic or quality of life.
- confirmed Councils have budgeted €1.605 billion in parking charges for 2026. — The amount appears in the CBS table for 2026. source
- confirmed Budgeted parking revenue is rising by 8.8 per cent compared with 2025. — CBS cites an increase from €1.475 billion to €1.605 billion. source
- confirmed Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague are jointly contributing to the increase. — CBS cites separate additional amounts for all three councils. source
- confirmed Budgeted income is not final actual revenue. — CBS distinguishes between budgeted and actual figures in the same publication. source
Editor's note
The figures are budgets for 2026, not final income. CBS provides national figures and identifies contributions from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague; local policy choices and effects on traffic flows are not fully available.Sources
- Gemeenten begroten 15,3 miljard euro aan heffingsopbrengsten — Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek
- Gemeenten krijgen meer binnen uit ozb: grootste stijging in Utrecht — NOS
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „parkeren gemeenten”
- De Telegraaf — „parkeren gemeenten”
- AD — „parkeren gemeenten”