Next new tax? Your private well?

iverjohnston

Its hard to keep up with ahe raft of new Taxes these days, what with septic tanks, household and now a TV tax. I was told at the weekend that a borehole registration fee it coming soon, anyone hear about this? I know that large scale veg. growers in the UK have to get extraction licences from their relavant Councils, to irrigate crops, but that is for huge volumes of water.

pakalasa

Years ago, if you remember an agricultural survey guy used to call around. When he asked us did we cut any timber for home use, we would always say no. :rolleyes: It wouldn't surprise me if they taxed that aswell. (As Well...bad pun)

Askim

pakalasa wrote: »

Years ago, if you remember an agricultural survey guy used to call around. When he asked us did we cut any timber for home use, we would always say no. :rolleyes: It wouldn't surprise me if they taxed that aswell. (As Well...bad pun)

Don't be giving them ideas

freedominacup

iverjohnston wrote: »

Its hard to keep up with ahe raft of new Taxes these days, what with septic tanks, household and now a TV tax. I was told at the weekend that a borehole registration fee it coming soon, anyone hear about this? I know that large scale veg. growers in the UK have to get extraction licences from their relavant Councils, to irrigate crops, but that is for huge volumes of water.

AFAIK all of the water in the UK was privatised 25+ years ago and this included all of the groundwater in much the same way as you only own the first few feet of what's under your land i.e. if there's a gold/oil strike under your land you don't own it unless you bought the mineral license you'll get paid for the access but not for what's there. The water in the U.K. is the same it all belongs to the water companies and you have to pay them for anything you extract. Technically all private wells are supposed to have a meter on them. I don't know how well policed it is but I suppose if you're not on an external supply they'll assume you are extracting water and take it from there.

What you are talking about is a govt tax, I have no idea how they'll try to make that one work.

Pacoa

That would be a tax too far i think.

Sam Kade

freedominacup wrote: »

AFAIK all of the water in the UK was privatised 25+ years ago and this included all of the groundwater in much the same way as you only own the first few feet of what's under your land i.e. if there's a gold/oil strike under your land you don't own it unless you bought the mineral license you'll get paid for the access but not for what's there. The water in the U.K. is the same it all belongs to the water companies and you have to pay them for anything you extract. Technically all private wells are supposed to have a meter on them. I don't know how well policed it is but I suppose if you're not on an external supply they'll assume you are extracting water and take it from there.

What you are talking about is a govt tax, I have no idea how they'll try to make that one work.

Where does the water come from? Clouds so it has to pass through your land before it can be extracted.

Sam Kade

iverjohnston wrote: »

Its hard to keep up with ahe raft of new Taxes these days, what with septic tanks, household and now a TV tax. I was told at the weekend that a borehole registration fee it coming soon, anyone hear about this? I know that large scale veg. growers in the UK have to get extraction licences from their relavant Councils, to irrigate crops, but that is for huge volumes of water.

Link or GTFO.

iverjohnston

http://www.independent.ie/business/farming/well-owners-set-to-pay-for-private-water-extraction-26797417.html

Flagged a good while ago.

St. Leibowitz

Unfortunately, the State owns all minerals under your lands, except in exceptional cases. You have no claim to them. If you were to discover gold or oil under your land, all you'd be entitled to is compensation for any disruption caused by extraction.

http://www.mineralsireland.ie/FAQS.htm

Who Owns Ireland's Minerals?
Minerals are either State owned or Privately owned. Approximately 60% of minerals are in State ownership. Private mineral ownership arises mainly when the lands in question have not been dealt with by the Land Commission since 1903. (If the Land Commission has dealt with the lands, the mineral rights would have been retained by the State)
Do I Own Minerals Found on My Land?
Mineral ownership rights are detailed in the land registry. Most minerals are the property of the state unless specified otherwise in the land owner’s deeds. All mines of gold and silver, i.e. deposits where these are the main minerals, are State owned. If an estate has been dealt with by the Land Commission under the Land Acts, the minerals are likely to be in State ownership. In any case, the right to work almost all minerals was vested in the Minister by the Minerals Development Act 1979. The exceptions were minerals that were being worked when that Act was passed. Compensation is payable by the Minister to the appropriate person, usually the mineral owner where the minerals being worked are in private ownership. The amount is determined by agreement or, failing that, by arbitration by the Mining Board





I understood the same to apply to groundwater, although this link

http://www.igi.ie/assets/files/Groundwater%20and%20Sustainable%20Development/YvonneScannell_LegalIssues.pdf

disputes that. It's from 2007, but I don't think there's been much (or any) change (yet). It's a very interesting read.

I know you wouldn't think it based on the last few Irish "summers", but future wars will not be over oil, but water. Already, farmers in India are killing them selves because their wells have dried up, and they cannot even feed their families. The rural electrification of India is to blame, as now everyone can run a pump. Before, they could only take out what a threadmill could pump out. The aquifers under India are shrinking by 25 cubic miles every year !!! 25 cubic miles more water being removed than is being replaced. Some of this water has been there for thousands of years, and percolation into the voids happens on massive timescales. Even if all extraction stopped now, it would take decades for them to even start to recover. Then global warming is melting the glaciers in the Himalayas which supply the rivers, and when they're gone ... Jaysus I sound like Duncan off EcoEye. I better stop.

Sam Kade

iverjohnston wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/business/farming/well-owners-set-to-pay-for-private-water-extraction-26797417.html

Flagged a good while ago.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/water_services/water_charges.html

Here is more up to date information from a more reliable source.

freedominacup

Sam Kade wrote: »

Where does the water come from? Clouds so it has to pass through your land before it can be extracted.

I'm not arguing the merits of it just outlining the situation as it was 20+ years ago when I was in college and working over there. I'm just pointing out that the water system in the U.K. is not based ona govt tax. For all I know it could have changed utterly.