Flemish government drops proposed “farmhouse tax” after one day

A proposed new tax on homes built in farming areas has been dropped by the Flemish government less than 24 hours after it was first welcomed by senior politicians.

The idea, quickly labelled the “farmhouse tax” by the media, aimed to protect open countryside and farmland in Flanders. It would have targeted “zone-foreign” homes: houses or converted farm buildings located in areas officially reserved for agriculture.

The proposal was originally backed by the powerful farmers’ organisation Boerenbond and environmental group Natuurpunt, which rarely agree on policy. Flemish environment minister Jo Brouns first described it as “a good proposal at the right time”.

However, Flemish minister-president Matthias Diependaele rejected the idea almost immediately, saying there were “other solutions than higher taxes”. By Sunday, Brouns had also changed position, saying he had no intention of introducing a yearly tax for people living in the countryside.

”There are other solutions than higher taxes”

The debate exposed divisions inside the Flemish governing coalition. Some politicians argued that too much farmland is being turned into housing or businesses, putting pressure on agriculture and nature. Others questioned whether Flanders really faces a shortage of farmland and said stricter enforcement of existing planning rules would work better than new taxes.

Brouns still supports the idea of a one-off payment when old farm buildings are converted into homes or commercial properties in farming areas. But coalition partners from the nationalist N-VA party and the socialist Vooruit party are also against that idea.

The discussion has become politically sensitive because many Flemish people live in rural homes outside official residential zones.

^{​#FlandersNewsService | Flemish minister for Agriculture and Environment Jo Brouns © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK}