A higher rate for greater usage is intended to provide an incentive to lower water comsumption.
The amount of water allocated per family at the cheaper rate will be increased by a cubic meter per month, the Water Authority decided at its meeting on Thursday.
The price at the cheaper rate is currently NIS 8.63 per cube, with each family member allocated 2.5 cubic meters per month, and that will now be increased to 3.5 cubic meters per person.
The decision comes about a month after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he intends to lead a process of lowering the tariff. Netanyahu's announcement came after a public outcry at rises in the prices of many items across the economy, along with threats of a strike by the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel).
The Water Authority said that a household that goes over the allocation will pay NIS 13.70 per cubic meter. The higher rate is intended to serve as an incentive to limit water consumption.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 20, 2011
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