Social justice group welcomes court ruling against Cape Town’s fixed tariffs

Social justice group Stop City of Cape Town has welcomed a court ruling declaring the municipality’s fixed tariff charges unlawful and invalid.

This week’s ruling by the Western Cape High court declared that certain fixed charges, including for water, sanitation and city-wide range should not be linked to property value as proposed by the City of Cape Town.

Dickson accused the metro of lacking compassion for Capetonians.

She added that the city has been struck over the knuckles about something they were told years ago that it is unconstitutional.

"The court refers to the City's irrational fiscal charecterisation to treat consumptive charges as fees which now also attract VAT. Because that was another issue in that taking sum of those charges out of the property rates which does not attract rates into fixed charges, we are also paying 15% more just because of VAT and the city just didn't blink an eye to doing that to us."