Most of the municipalities ignore the recommendations of Mr. Price on the billing of water, discovered RTS. Consequence: citizens pay too much, in the eyes of the federal price supervisor.
About 58% of the municipalities have completely ignored the proposals of Mr. Price concerning taxes for the distribution of water over the past three years. As for wastewater, the situation is not better: barely half of the recommendations was respected, sometimes only in part.
In French -speaking Switzerland, 29 municipalities – mainly Friborg and Jura – have not followed the opinion of the prices supervisor between 2022 and 2024. The municipalities do not have the obligation to follow the recommendations. Their legislative is solely competent.
Local communities must only request the opinion of Mr. Price. If they get rid of it, they simply have to explain why. When they do not do so and citizens appeal, tariff changes are canceled by justice. This case arrives about once a year.
Equal treatment
Prices increases of more than 30% are deemed problematic by Mr. Price. To avoid putting households or businesses in financial difficulty, the price supervisor recommends making several small increases, every two years at most. In practice, this directive is often not applied. At TroisTorrents in Valais, increases up to 236%, for example, come to be decided.
Another problem: municipalities that drastically increase connection taxes. This unique invoice of several thousand francs is addressed to those who build a building. Mr. Prix does not want someone who builds today should pay much more than the one who has built in the past.
Respect for the principle of equal treatment is also expensive at Mr. Price. As such, he also prohibits making big consumers pay more. This could certainly encourage them to save water, but it would be unequal. However, taxes must be the same for everyone.
Oppose the right time
Still in this logic of equality, the municipalities are not supposed – by accounting artifices as too fast depreciation – ensuring that the taxes collected are used to finance future investments for their behavior or their treatment plant.
Citizens who face too salty invoices launch different types of procedures, such as a petition, a letter at Mr. Price, a complaint to the municipality or a legal recourse. But these initiatives are almost always doomed to failure.
Citizens can only oppose the legislative – General Council or Citizen Assembly – votes the new prices. Afterwards, it is too late to act. The population then only has to hope that the town corrects the shot a few years later, as sometimes happens. Otherwise, households must resign themselves to paying a few tens – or even hundreds – more frankly each year.
>> Listen to the interview in forum by Christophe Germanier, president of the Federation of Valais communes:
Romain Carrupt/asch
