The City Gets Serious

No more free splashing around: “Pool tax” is coming

Depending on the size of the pool, pool owners in Jennersdorf will in future have to pay an annual additional tax of between 50 and 100 euros—on top of their water bills.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com)

Private pools are driving up water consumption massively and putting increasing pressure on the supply. The city of Jennersdorf (Burgenland) is now responding with a new tax and is simultaneously cracking down on illegal water withdrawals from fire hydrants. Why is this measure being introduced, and what’s behind it?

When hundreds of private swimming pools are filled at the start of the warm season, water consumption rises rapidly. In some municipalities, shortages are even looming. Jennersdorf is now pulling the emergency brake and asking pool owners to pay up with a “pool tax.” After all, anyone who can afford the luxury of their own swimming pool can also afford to pay for it, says Mayor Reinhard Deutsch (JES List). Up to a third more water flows through the pipes during the warm months. “Since the pandemic, there has been a massive increase in private pools; there are now around 150 in the city limits,” says Deutsch.

Anyone who can afford the luxury of their own swimming pool can also pay for it.

Bürgermeister Reinhard Deutsch (Liste JES)

Only wading pools remain free
The fee is clearly tiered: Pools with a capacity of up to 15 cubic meters—such as wading pools—remain free of charge. For pools between 15 and 20 cubic meters, a fee of 50 euros applies; for those up to 30 cubic meters, 70 euros; and for anything larger, 100 euros annually. The fee is billed directly through the water bill. The move comes in response to, among other things, an increasingly strained water supply situation.

Depending on the size of the pool, pool owners in Jennersdorf will have to pay an additional annual tax of between 50 and 100 euros in the future—on top of their water bills.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com)

Simmering conflict: Water reserves are running low
A conflict that has been simmering for years between the Unteres Lafnitztal and Raabtal water associations over contracts, well systems, and billing is further exacerbating the situation. The city’s water reserves have thus shrunk significantly. In addition to rising consumption, there is also an increase in illegal water withdrawals. “We have determined that there is a significant loss. This practice is now being reported without exception,” says Deutsch.

FPÖ Criticism: Will Watering the Lawn Soon Cost Money Too?
Criticism is coming from the FPÖ. City Councilman Rudolf Smolej speaks of a targeted burden. “What’s next to fill the empty city coffers? Will I also have to pay if I want to water my lawn?” He calls the measure “toxic.” The fee also bolsters the city’s coffers during financially strained times, a fact the mayor makes no secret of.

State already failed with a pool tax
A similar initiative at the state level failed in Burgenland more than ten years ago. At that time, sewer fees were to be linked to the size of swimming pools, which would have required a costly survey.