Are town taxes in the Netherlands separate from those deducted from my salary?

Question

I received a message from the local town (gemeente). It is in Dutch and, although I've translated it, I didn't understand it entirely. It is related to taxes, and says that I must pay a certain amount of money before the end of February.

I pay my taxes monthly from my salary. What other tax is it referring to? Should I go ahead and pay? The problem is that the amount is odd. It's not very large, so I am sure that it is not the tax that is taken out of my salary check.

Update: I've asked a friend and am told that these are municipal taxes (garbage collecting ... etc.) and it is assessed yearly.

Answer 1

Yes, municipal taxes are separate from the income tax (which is national) and other deductions from your salary (like retirement benefits contribution, which isn't a tax). You should go ahead and pay the municipal tax.

Before paying you may consider taking the time to make sure you've been charged the correct amount; you can talk to your land-lord (if you're renting), or try contacting your municipality to ask for an explanation regarding why the sum is what it is. ... or you could just be trusting and pay :-)