The Water Authority’s drought tax goes into effect Wednesday. The NIS 20 levy per cubic meter of water will be paid by families containing four or fewer members who use more than 30 cubic meters of water in two months. Prior to the drought tax, these families paid NIS 8 per cubic meter for excess use of water. Families with more than four members will receive an allowance for an additional three cubic meters per family member. In hot regions in the Arava desert region, Eilat, and the Beit Shean valley, the tax will “only” cost NIS 16.

The tax was deliberated in the Knesset Finance Committee and will retroactively go into effect, in accordance with the Economic Arrangements Act. Local government councils and water companies criticized the tax since they think that citizens will be unable to limit water usage. In addition, they leveled criticism since the added revenues won’t be pumped back into the water industry, but would instead be drawn into the Finance Ministry’s bank account.