A flushing tax? You've got to be kidding
Filed under: Budgets, Home, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Consumer Complaints
Australia may have a way to help solve the world's drought problem: Charge homeowners for each flush of a toilet.
While the final solution may not be that simple, economic and water officials in Australia are promoting a plan there that would charge homeowners based on waste water output. Currently, sewage charges are based on a home's value.
"Some people may go so far as not flushing their toilet as often because the less sewage you produce, the less sewage rate you pay," Young said.
I live in California, where water is a precious commodity and where even during a week of rain, people are talking about the upcoming drought. Water tips are nothing new, but paying for your outgoing sewage is.
The thing I don't understand is how someone could be charged twice for using water -- even if the water is dirtied. I already pay for bringing clean water into my house. This program -- and yes, I know I don't live in Australia -- would mean I'd also be paying for sending the water out as sewage. I already get a water bill, and my sewage fee is part of my annual property tax bill. Another bill for how much sewage I send out seems extreme; and there isn't a meter on my sewage pipe -- at least not yet.
According to Young, Australians would pay for it as they used it and would also pay a small fixed annual fee to cover the cost of meter readings and pipeline maintenance.
Young said that such a system already exists elsewhere, in Bellaire, Texas, a suburb of Houston.
An area in Florida charges for water and sewer usage, at $4.99 for 1,000 gallons of residential sewage.
Aaron Crowe is an unemployed journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read about his job search at www.AaronCrowe.net
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
2-20-2009 @ 6:07AM
Brass said...
Australia needs a large-scale desalinization project. On a planet that is 2/3 water, I don't understand why we haven't made desalination a major priority.
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2-20-2009 @ 6:40AM
frank said...
ON A ROAD TO---WHERE ??
>>>We have a congress led by San Francisco's VALUES girl Nancy Pelosi & the Las-Vegas PORKER Harry Reid THAT'S stacked FULL of CORRUPT politicians , the likes of . Barney Frank , Chris Dodd , Charley Rangel and WORSE yet a PRESIDENT that surrounds himself with AMERICA-HATERS , DOMESTIC-TERRORIST & TAX-CHEATS , even his own CHIEF-OF-STAFF is now being OUTED as a TAX-CHEAT ,and to TOP-IT all off , a MAIN-STREAM news media that's a MOUTH-PIECE for the far-left's , anything-goes , bleeding-heart , enemy-sympathizing LIBERALS , WOW !! are we IN-TROUBLE or WHAT ??,
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2-20-2009 @ 6:50AM
Lee said...
Right on Frank. Not only are they drinking the Kool-Aid they are bathing in it.
2-20-2009 @ 7:33AM
Lynette said...
We've been paying a sewage charge (in addition to a water meter charge) for years here in Florida. What's the big deal? Trust me, people still flush regularly! If there is a pressing need for more money so an area can improve/expand water treatment facilities, it makes sense to start charging a sewage fee.
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2-20-2009 @ 7:36AM
Blue said...
We already pay our sewer bill based on water usage. Similar, eh? makes some sort of sense to me.
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2-20-2009 @ 7:58AM
Diana said...
In Delaware, our sewer fees are based on our water usage during the year. The more water coming in, the more you pay for sewage. I was more shocked to see that Australia charges based on home values. Do those who can afford nicer houses flush more? I think that sounds much more unfair.
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2-20-2009 @ 12:29PM
Al said...
Amazing. People think nothing of phone companies charging you to call, or even worse text message someone, on your cell phone and charging them to receive the call or message yet to charge to receive water and discharge water is somehow an issue.
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2-20-2009 @ 9:00AM
Biff said...
This is not as crazy as it sounds. The best way to control unwanted consumption is to directly tax the unwanted consumption.No slicing, no dicing, no "cut the cards".Huge quantities of water are utilized on unnecessary or frivolous uses. This is ancient technology to waste water to carry human waste to some central facility and then separate it again.The water that flushes my toilet must be purified to the same standard of purity as the water in my ice cubes!We have adopted this antique system because it has been cheap, and once we thought we would never trun out of water.Water is still plentiful in Florida, yet we are seeing that our suppluy of good potable water is finite.It is time for governments to stop playing "Hide the Doo-Doo", and adopt direct payment for critical goods and services. People will waste so long as what they use appears free or cheap.That is a fact.
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2-20-2009 @ 9:10AM
MIKE said...
TAX, TAX, TAX TAX, TAX, COME ON AMERICA, TAX US SOME MORE. AMERICANS LOVE TO PAY TAXES.
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2-20-2009 @ 12:32PM
roger said...
Hey Mike, The article was about taxing in Australia, not the US.
However, I agree with you; we are taxed to death!!
2-20-2009 @ 9:25AM
john hartwig said...
This is from the great state of Iowa. We have been paying a feefor all my life, and I am 74 years old. It is based on how much water comes trough our meter. We also have to pay for storm sewers. We pay for everything even the ink it uses to print the bill. Even if we never used the toilet we would still be charged for the use of the sewer. After the great flood of 2008 they are still trying to find ways to tax us more, and they want those who didnt get flooded to pay for thr ones that lost everything. They even want to ,make them pay for for the city to mow their lawns. They have to pay for two homes while trying to get in line at the soup kitchen. You think you have it bad just go to some flood ravaged or diaster place and see how you fare out.
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2-20-2009 @ 9:38AM
sabs said...
Bellaire, FL charges $4.99 for 1000 gallons of sewage...hell, Obongo puts that out twice ever day with his BS.
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2-20-2009 @ 9:41AM
sabs said...
Most systems cahrge for the amount of water coming trough the meter. So if you like to maintain your house and keep it looking good and water your grass and flower beds you're being charge for more sewage usage...sound fair to me....yeah right.
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2-20-2009 @ 9:52AM
Ted said...
No wonder the author is unemployed. He does no research for his articles; he just pulls them out of his butt. (Quite fitting for this POS article.
Maybe his utility company does base its sewage charge on water use, but it should. It's the only fair way to do it.
Every municipality or water/wastewater utilty of which I'm familiar in Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania uses the monthly "metered in" water use to calculate the "sewage out" wastewater fee. (I've been in the business for more than 30 years, so I've seen quite a few systems.)
For many cities, the water usage bill generates revenue. The sewage bill just barely pays for wages, treatment costs, and syatem maintenance.
The City of Austin,TX (for example) uses a billing system that prevents charging customers for water consumed, but not discharged to the sewer system. The water meter readings for only November through February are used to calculate the sewer bill for that customer for the rest of the year.
That way, water used for watering lawns and gardens, and for washing cars, sidewalks, decks, patios, etc., or for filling a swimming pool does not get included in the summer sewage bill.
The charge is recalculated each year to account for changes in a household's or business' use of waterIt's a sensible and fair system.
I haven't checked into it lately, but Austin used to cheat it customers by adding a 5% surchagre to these monthly fees. That money went into a general slush fund that had nothing to do with the utilities. This fee should have been included in property taxes that the customers could write off their income taxes. They can't deduct if it's tied to water and wastewater services.
Australia shoud be able to figure this stuff out. If Australia, the US, and any other place in the world wants to conserve water, the quickest and most effective way to do it is to strictly prohibit all lawn and landscape irrigation. It is the most wasteful use of precious water. In fancy subdivisions, I have seen water bills of $Ks per month. The people can afford it, so they use it.
The really disgusting part is that this water is being wasted during summer droughts when water supplies are strained and the water is badly needed for more critical uses.
If this article is correct (and that is highly suspect), I applaud Australia for wanting to promote water conservation, but there are much better approachs.
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2-20-2009 @ 12:43PM
roger said...
Very well put, Ted. I too have beeen in the industry either in utilities or engineering for the past 30 years.
Your comments hit the nail on the head!!
2-20-2009 @ 3:15PM
Richard said...
You are right Ted and I believe all cities do this, the thing I don't understand is it seems many people don't know this. And as far as water conservation goes, every place I've seen it done by the city, the people do a good job and then the city has to raise the water rates to make up for the lost money. I live north of you near Sweetwater, in No City, so water only costs me the electric charges to get it out of the ground and the stepic tank doesn't really care how many times I flush.
2-20-2009 @ 9:54AM
George said...
This is time for the United States to wake up!!! We are wallowing in our own waste and Garbage!!! Our water supplies are limited but yet we do nothing to control the population of this nation. When is enough , enough!!! 350,000,000? 400,000000?, 500,000,000, 1,000,000,000? shut the doors on immigration now it is time now!!!!!!!
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2-20-2009 @ 10:05AM
Chris said...
I think all politicians deserve a good 5 minute SWIRLIE!!!
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2-20-2009 @ 10:30AM
Lin said...
When I lived in Calif, we were asked to be conservative with the water during a drought. I did my share. A number of months later, we received notices, thanking us for our cooperation, but unfortunately the water department did not make enough money during this period of time, and had to raise our rates! It was nice when I lived up North....we had wells and did not have to pay anyone for our water. I'm now if Fl, having 3 types of water usages. Fortunately, I'm not in an area where it is $4.99, as the article suggest. Mine range from .65 cents per 1000, to $4.02.
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2-20-2009 @ 10:42AM
Frank said...
In Michigan (the Detroit Water System, which covers everything from Jackson to Detroit, Flint to Monroe) the water bill has two charges - one for fresh water and the other for sewage. They're both based on the amount of water used as based on the water meter. I don't think anyone notices because it's all combined into one total, but it's been that way as long as I can remember.
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