More Flushes Could Mean Higher Fees for New Zealand Home Businesses

This article in the Marlborough Express from New Zealand caught my eye. The story said that home business operators could face commercial charges for water and sewage rates if the Marlborough District Council has its way, although a final decision won't be made until June, after public hearings.

At issue is whether certain home-based businesses (in this case, the main culprit cited was at-home beauty salon operators) should be charged additional fees for increased water and sewage usage arising from their business operations.

The article reports that the recommendation was triggered by complaints, mainly from commercial hairdressers upset that home-based operators were not being charged the same as them.

Under the proposed changes, all ratepayers who use their property for commercial reasons arising from a home business would be charged a $60 fee. The fee would jump to $140 if the home business places extra demand on sewerage [unless supplied by meter] or water. If both sewer and water are subject to increased demands from the home business, the charge would jump even farther to $220.

So I guess what all of this means is that if you operate a home business in New Zealand and you or your customers are full of crap, you could be faced with penalties.