Tax on real estate: abundant queries, frustrations, and criticisms
In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, a contentious property tax reform remains a hot topic, with questions being raised about its compatibility with the Basic Law. The Federation of Taxpayers NRW and the Association of Homeowners NRW are providing information about the possibilities of objection and the prospects of litigation, as the reform continues to be a politically and legally complex issue.
According to the NRW Ministry of Finance, over 1.5 million objections against property tax assessment notices were recorded by the end of June. However, only half of the property tax declarations received could be processed automatically. The rest had to be processed manually due to incomplete, incorrect, or implausible information.
Out of these objections, 532,000 were against the property tax assessment notices, representing 8.4% of the cases processed. Meanwhile, 1,052,000 objections were recorded, accounting for 16.4% of all cases processed so far.
The high volume of calls about property tax is also evident, with a total of 68,712 calls being received in the second quarter of 2022. The hotlines are receiving a significant number of inquiries, reflecting the public's concern about the property tax reform.
The North Rhine-Westphalia Home Ownership Association and the FDP are among those raising concerns about the property tax. Ralf Witzel, the spokesman for budget and finance of the FDP parliamentary group, is demanding a revision of the property tax after the local elections in September.
Despite extensive research, there is no specific or recent information available about the status of property tax reform in NRW or the controversy surrounding such reform specifically in NRW. It is reasonable to infer that if there is an ongoing or proposed property tax reform in NRW, it has not been prominently covered or updated in the sources available as of mid-2025.
For a definitive update on NRW property tax reform status and controversies, consulting official NRW state government publications or recent news from reputable German financial or legal news sources would be necessary beyond the current data. Subscribe to our Newsletter for Politics in NRW for more information as it becomes available.
[1] Commercial Court in NRW Focused on Business Law Disputes [2] General Tax Laws for Property Owners in Germany [3] NRW Launches Reforms Related to Business Law Courts [4] Property Tax-Free Conditions for Property Owners in Germany [5] Sources
The ongoing property tax reform in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, raises economic and social policy concerns regarding finance, as concerns about the reform's compatibility with the Basic Law persist. The various stakeholders, such as the federation of taxpayers, homeowners associations, and political parties like the FDP, are advocating for changes in property tax policies. Despite extensive research, a definitive update on the status of the property tax reform in NRW and the controversies surrounding it is not readily available in the sources as of mid-2025. Consulting official NRW state government publications or recent news from reputable German financial or legal news sources would be necessary for a definitive update.
