Aug 17, 2012

Flush Tax

You pee, you poo, you pay. A while back, the Maryland Legislature took a step towards protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries when it passed what has become known as “the flush tax.”

The bill established the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Restoration Fund to be supported by a $2.50 a month fee on sewer bills and an equivalent $30 annual fee on septic system owners. These funds are collected by the County and turned over to the State which distributes the funds to utilities to upgrade waste-water treatment plants to reduce nitrogen discharge which causes algae blooms that harm other aquatic life.

The revenues from septic tank users are used to upgrade or replace failing septic systems and to provide financial assistance to farmers to help plant cover crops to prevent nutrient runoff from agricultural land. This is the government equivalent of the pay toilet. The government has now completed the cycle where what we eat and drink is taxed when it goes in and now it is taxed when it comes out.