The cost of stormwater, also known as rainfall tax, is the cost imposed on the real estate owner for pollution in the stormwater drainage of runoff surface runoff.
This system was introduced in Germany in the 1990s which imposes taxes that are comparable to watertight areas, such as concrete or asphalt, which do not absorb rain to the surface.
Rain taxes are applied in Germany and the United States in a way that charges less for stormwater to flow into the gutter if it has more terrible areas.
Video Rain tax
German
Equality issues are raised regarding the imposition of waste costs based on the use of water supplies. In 1985, to ensure legal justice charging under the polluter pays principle, the Federal Administrative Court of Germany and the local high court ruled that the cost of the waste disposal system should be collected separately as the cost of use for rainwater exclusions and as the cost of use for sewage disposal. This decision became the decisive motive for bringing about changes in the rainwater drainage system in Germany. German states take legal action to impose stormwater tax on developers like builders who made artificial surfaces in the 1990s. Much of the resistance was raised, but Berlin, which has been the strongest opponent, has accepted the plan since 2000. About 73 percent of cities with populations of 100,000 or more apply separate calculation methods, which divide the cost of waste into rainwater costs. Typically, Germans calculate concrete, asphalt, and roof buildings as resistant areas and charge an annual fee of 2.6 $ per m². Builders install rainfall storage tanks and permeation facilities to receive cost reductions. In addition, outdoor plant cultivation facilities and green business are also proposed as an alternative to rainfall reduction.
Germany has seen two effects in this regard: increasing the rate of rainwater recycling and reducing the cost of waste and the use of tap water. Rainwater recycling plays a major role in preventing the city from flooding in the event of heavy rain and energy saving.
Maps Rain tax
Italy
Such taxes have been collected in Italian territory, gaining international attention, and challenging the Italian tax morale. Authorities in Ravenna, Italy, have imposed a 3% increase on local water bills to maintain and improve drainage systems. Officials said the severe damage caused by heavy rains on infrastructure, buildings and farms in the Po valley insisted that this money was badly needed to be replaced. The local water board, which wants to renew a new three-year tax, claims that payments will save EUR1 million per year. Gianluca Dradi, head of environmental policy for the Ravenna city council, equated levies with road cleaning taxes and clarified that those who overpaid for their water use, such as factories, would pay more proportionately than individual households. "Including fees in water bills is fairer," he told the Repubblica newspaper.
However, consumer organizations are opposing the move, and residents are urged to fight the authorities and refuse to pay taxes.
United States
Maryland
The stormwater management fee is set through House Bill 987 (April 2012) and signed into law by governor Martin O'Malley, affecting the largest urban jurisdiction in Maryland (nine districts and Baltimore City) to comply with the requirements of the federal Water Act as it concerns the DAS Chesapeake Bay. The Tax Foundation declared House Bill 987 "endorsed in response to a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially known as Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load, which identifies mandatory reductions of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediments that damage the Chesapeake Bay." The mandate of The EPA is mandated to the states of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Maryland is the only country that has levied taxes to meet EPA standards. The polluted runoff is the only source in the ever-increasing Chesapeake Bay watershed, by 2018. This tax, of course, does not cause rain but has been applied in various ways at the district level, such as fixed costs per property owner,.
The law stipulates that the funds raised should be used for specific rainwater pollution-related purposes.
The law was amended in 2015 to make fees assessed by the county optional rather than mandatory while still holding the districts responsible for making progress in managing polluted runoff.
Illinois
HB1522 (August 2013) provides DuPage and Peoria County with options to charge residents whose property benefits from stormwater county management. HB1522 allows countries to assess taxes in a non-uniform manner, based on their own rules, exceptions and special considerations. Municipal municipal governments in Illinois always have the ability to charge a special fee under their own.
The City of Elgin, Illinois plans to assess the Stormwater Utility Tax in 2014, but the public who is angry and determines the election result led the Elgin City Council to unanimously decline the tax.
How to Calculate Rainfall Potential
- To calculate your potential Rain Tax, you should know "ERU (Equivalent Residential Unit)". ERU is a measure of the number of square footage resistant that contains typical residence calculated to 3,000 square feet based on the aggregate of the driveway, the garage roof, the roof of the house, and various paving. Users are categorized according to business or resident characteristics. Each property will be charged a monthly fee based on how many ERUs belong to it.
- Residential: Based on the low end Strand Strand sent to the Board last October, an ERU for a typical residential property would cost $ 3 per month. At the high end, Downer's Grove has a rainwater utility tax and costs $ 8.40 per ERU per month. That means the cost starts from $ 36 to $ 100.80 every year for homeowners.
- Commercial: For example, if you have a 9000 square foot-resistant surface property, you divide by 3000, generating 3 ERU's. Using from $ 3 to $ 8.40 per ERU above, it can cost from $ 108 to $ 302.40 every year for business, not for profit, church, etc.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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