Taxing Nature

What else that is natural can we tax?
Putting a price on safe water will ensure universal access to it
WEF member,
Catarina de Albuquerque,
CEO, Sanitation and Water for All.

"I often hear people say that water comes from God and so, like air and sunlight, it shouldn’t have a price. This is a big misconception.

Taps, toilets and soaps are human inventions. The systems that deliver a supply of potable water, or carry waste away from a latrine, are costly, complicated and require constant maintenance.

Yes, it is our human right (another human invention) to access sufficient water and sanitation for basic personal and domestic needs. And yes, governments must guarantee these rights for every single person. But these services cost money to establish and run, and those resources need to come from somewhere.

Water doesn't have to be free for everyone

Just because water is a human right doesn’t mean it has to be free for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. What the human right to water and sanitation requires is rather that these services are affordable for all, meaning that they must not compromise the ability to pay for other essential needs such as health or food or housing.