Taxes should fund MUA investment - MHK
A backbench MHK has slammed a 6.5% increase in the Island's sewerage rate as "flawed and unfair" especially for those on lower incomes.
Ramsey member Lawrie Hooper says funding for sewerage infrastructure should be raised through general taxation, rather than by the rate system.
Tynwald this month approved the rise, in line with inflation, to fund improvements to the MUA's network and treatment plants.
A flat rate per-property fee was scrapped in 2015 amid wide public opposition. Its replacement with a charge based on rateable values was seen as more equitable.
Mr Hooper claims the current system is no fairer and voted against the rise, saying annual hikes will hit the poorest in society most.
He says government should think again about how to fund the key service:
"When you're delivering healthcare on an island, your costs are going to be higher"
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