NEWS

Make your own lists with Openspending


All 2016 budgets of Dutch municipalities and provinces are now available on Openspending. And because we love lists we are launching the Openspending listmaker openspendinglijstjes.nl today.  Since October 2015 all financial information of Dutch local governments are available on Openspending.nl. New budgets, quarterly’s and annual reports will automatically be available on the website. The latest addition are the 2016 budgets of municipalities and provinces. So if you want to check upon, compare and benchmark finances of Dutch local governments Openspending gives you all the information you need.

Which governments spend the most on culture and which receive the most dog license tax? And how much is spent or received per inhabitant, surface area and household? What they can do at Buzzfeed, you can do too! With openspendinglijstjes.nl you can now make your own lists of government income and expenditure.

Rotterdam likes their dogs

Begrootte inkomsten hondenbelasting 2016

A dog license is still a tax that benefits Dutch municipalities. Rotterdam must have budget for luxurious areas for walking your dog.

Amsterdam is Dutch parking paradise

Begrootte inkomsten parkeerbelasting per inwoner 2016

Tourists may not like the price of parking in Amsterdam. The city of Amsterdam earns about 400 euro per inhabitant on parking fees. And for tourists going to the beach in Zandvoort, know you are helping the local government with 250 euro per resident.

Tourists are helping Amsterdam thrive

Begrootte inkomsten toeristenbelasting 2016

And yet again Amsterdam is the number one. Residents of the canal district may not always like beerbike riding and smoking tourists, but the city of Amsterdam earns 46 million euros per year because of them.

Unemployment benefits per household

Begrootte uitgaven aan bijstandsverlening en inkomenssteun

What does a municipality spend on welfare for unemployed citizens?  The above bar chart shows that an average Rotterdam household receives more then 1.000 euro per year.

For museums go to The Hague

Begrootte uitgaven aan musea in 2016

Culture and art is worth paying for. After years of investing in the renovation of the Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is not even in the top 10 spenders on museums. The Hague however is fully investing in their museums.

Explosive situation in Katwijk

Begrootte uitgaven aan opruiming en ruiming explosieven 2016

We still find some forgotten World War II bombs in the Netherlands every once in a while. And ofcourse they need to be removed. But we did not expect the above situation. The municipality of Katwijk, a beach town by the sea, is projecting to spend more then 2.5 million euros in 2016 to clean old bombs. If you are looking for safe beaches during the bleak Dutch summer, be careful.

You want to make your own lists? Go to openspendinglijstjes.nl and let us know what you find.