- The south and the south of the country: water cent comes in autumn
After some debate and wrangling within the coalition, the announced bill to introduce a water tax in Bavaria is now expected to come into effect by this fall at the latest. Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) and Environment Minister Thorsten Glauber (Free Voters) have scheduled final consultations within their factions for after the summer break. However, there are still many questions that need to be clarified.
The so-called water tax already exists in 13 of the 16 federal states, some for many years. Anyone who pumps water has to pay a fee. The amount of the charge varies depending on the state, ranging up to around 30 cents per cubic meter. The CSU and Free Voters had agreed during the formation of the government at the end of 2023 to introduce a water tax in this legislative period, as previously planned. However, there have been debates within the coalition about the details.
"We're in the final stretch, but not at the finish line"
"We agree that the water tax will come. It's in the final stretch, but not yet at the finish line," Söder said after a cabinet meeting at the Kloster Weltenburg near Kelheim. The devil is in the details: in which stages the water tax should be introduced, how it compares to other federal states, and how high individual burdens could be. After the summer break, there will be another roundtable discussion between the coalition factions and the environment minister to discuss all these issues and then submit a corresponding draft law for the fall, Söder said.
The core problem is that Glauber has submitted an initial proposal, but the Free Voters faction has since developed an additional model, Söder said. An initial idea must now be turned into a workable draft law.
Glauber: Both factions support the water tax
Glauber said they want to make final progress in the days immediately after the summer break. "Only with a good vote from both factions and a show of unity can we get the water tax through," he emphasized. It's about details that must also be carried jointly. However, he noted that both factions support the water tax. "And that's important," he emphasized.
In the coalition agreement between the CSU and Free Voters from last fall, it states: "We oppose any form of privatization. To emphasize the preciousness of our drinking water and to protect it even better, we are introducing a purpose-bound water tax. The revenues will be used exclusively for water management projects and measures for effective water protection and sustainable water management."
The first proposal for the water tax originated from Minister Glauber, but his Free Voters faction has since presented an additional model.The first is the proposed model from the Free Voters faction, which needs to be integrated into a workable draft law for the water tax.
