Ribera del Fresno approves the wastewater treatment tax

The City Council of Ribera del Fresno (Badajoz) has made final the municipal tax ordinance regulating the fee for the provision of the wastewater treatment service, as no claims were filed during the public exhibition period. The decision, which stems from the initial plenary agreement of June 15, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Badajoz number 171, dated September 7, 2026, via Announcement 3518/2026.

The new fee taxes the differentiated phase of the drinking water supply service known as sanitation and wastewater treatment, and shall be mandatory for all water supply subscribers in the municipality. The regulation is issued in exercise of the powers provided for in the consolidated text of the Law Regulating Local Treasuries (Royal Legislative Decree 2/2004) and Law 8/1989 on fees and public prices.

A Binomial Structure Tariff

The tax quota is structured according to a binomial model, with a fixed part per subscriber and a variable part based on the volume of water supplied:

• Fixed or service fee: €1.9595/subscriber/month.
• Variable or discharge fee: €0.4059/m³, calculated on the volume consumed in the supply fee or, in the case of a connection without supply, on the volume discharged into the network or the treatment plants (WWTP).

Public and commercial uses will be assimilated to domestic ones, and the frequency of the bills will be the same as that of the municipality’s water supply fee. If the volumes consumed and discharged are approximately equal, the meter reading may be used as the measurement of the residual flow.

Taxpayers and Collection

The taxpayers are the natural or legal persons who occupy or use, under any title, the dwellings and premises where the service is provided, with the owner acting as the taxpayer’s substitute. The obligation to contribute arises with the provision of the service, which, being general and mandatory, imposes the inexcusability of its payment.

Collection will be carried out by the concessionaire entity or through a management entrustment agreement with the Autonomous Body for Collection and Tax Management of the Provincial Council of Badajoz (OAR). Initial inclusion in the census will be done ex officio once the taxpayer is incorporated into the water supply fee register.

Entry into Force and Appeals

The ordinance shall enter into force on the day of its definitive publication in the Official Gazette of the Province, beginning to be applied on the first day of the quarter following its entry into force. An administrative appeal may be filed against the agreement within two months before the High Court of Justice of Extremadura, in accordance with Article 19 of Royal Legislative Decree 2/2004. The announcement is signed by the mayor, Miguel Ángel Araya Salguero.

The definitive approval of this fee represents a firm step in the financing of the supra-municipal purification service, which will affect all water supply subscribers in Ribera del Fresno. Residents must take into account the new monthly fixed cost and the variable consumption fee starting from the quarter following the entry into force of the regulation.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Badajoz, No. 171, September 7, 2026, Local Administration, pgs. 2-4 (official reference: Announcement 3518/2026).