Take state water officials to court, Outa urges
Cape Town should drop its drought tax and instead sue the Department of Water and Sanitation for neglecting its constitutional duty to supply water, says lobby group
The City of Cape Town should force the national government to pay for bulk water infrastructure‚ instead of introducing a "punitive and illegal" property tax or levy to cover up national and provincial mismanagement‚ says the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa).Outa has issued a letter of demand to Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille‚ challenging the city’s proposed drought levy‚ as well as the limited public participation in the process and the lack of action taken against the central Department of Water and Sanitation on the matter."We are aware of the drought‚ but cannot accept the residents of Cape Town being burdened with punitive taxes whilst alternative solutions to this dire situation may exist‚" said Julius Kleynhans‚ portfolio manager for water at Outa. "It is critical for citizens to be afforded meaningful opportunity to engage with both local and national government on this issue‚ to ensure rational decision making."On December 5‚ the Cape Town council decided to introdu...
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