Bad Arolsen in turmoil: online petition against property tax explosion!

Bad Arolsen in turmoil: online petition against property tax explosion!

In Bad Arolsen, a recently decided property tax increase is causing a stir among the citizens. Jan-Hendrik Rohrbach, a 30-year-old management consultant and member of the CDU board, has launched an online petition. The reason: The city parliament has increased the property tax rates by 190 percentage points retroactively to January 1, 2025. The assessment rate for property tax A increases from 360 to 550 percent, while property tax B was increased from 340 to 530 percent, as wlz-online.de reports.

This drastic increase is intended to compensate for financial bottlenecks in other taxes and increasing additional expenses, especially due to the district levy. But citizens are alarmed. So far, around 600 people have supported the petition and many have expressed their concerns in comments. A point that is often criticized is the lack of discussion and transparent savings strategies on the part of city members.

An open ear for citizens' concerns

Rohrbach sees a lack of willingness to talk in current politics and has suggested concrete suggestions for reducing costs. This includes, among other things, the abandonment of the second grass field in Mengeringhausen and the renaturation of the Thiele floodplain. He also calls on the local authority supervisory authority to examine the economic viability in Bad Arolsen and to carefully examine alternatives to increasing taxes. Questions about the necessity of planned major projects, such as a new sports center, also arise.

The decision to increase taxes did not come without warning. Critics complain that the city parliament first passed the decision to increase the amount before a citizens' information event was called. This means that many citizens feel left in the dark about their financial options in advance. The retroactive application of the new assessment rates creates additional planning uncertainty, as both households and companies in Bad Arolsen are now facing unexpected challenges.

Public reaction and further steps

Rohrbach published his petition, which was started on July 12th and runs until August 16th, on the Open-Petition portal. It not only serves as a platform for signatures, but also as a tool for addressing city councilors directly and forwarding the collected signatures to the local authority supervisory authority. As a member of the CDU, he brings his expertise as an economist to liven up the discussion about financial policy and ensure that all economically viable alternatives are examined before further tax increases.

In these turbulent times, when the cost of living is already rising, many Bad Arols residents are worried about additional financial burdens caused by the new taxes. The city is currently investing in voluntary projects whose necessity has not been sufficiently evaluated and some of which have to be financed through loans or the city budget. A clear call for the city administration to make budget management more transparent comes from the population.

In summary, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop and whether citizens' voices will be heard in order to alleviate financial pressure that is particularly noticeable at the moment.