The Association of Small and Medium Enterprises of San Pedro Alcántara (Apymespa) reports that for the same consumption of three cubic metres, a business pays around 70 euros, three times more than a household. The group is calling on the Marbella Town Hall for a modification of the tariff system, which it considers "unjust and suffocating".
A consumption of three cubic metres of water: 23 euros for a household, 70 euros for a business. That is the gap highlighted by the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises of San Pedro Alcántara (Apymespa), which has been gathering the discontent of merchants, freelancers, and micro-enterprises in the San Pedro area for weeks. The industrial rate, they claim, "suffocates small businesses" and particularly penalises those that only use water for washing or cleaning, such as clothing stores, shoe shops, pharmacies, or real estate agencies.
A service charge that "penalises" businesses
The origin of the difference lies in the service charge, a fixed fee of around 40 euros that is applied to industrial meters regardless of their diameter. According to Apymespa, many businesses have installations and containers the same size as those of a household, but pay this extra charge that "is not justified". "It is a tariff system that suffocates small businesses," the association points out, lamenting the "deep discontent" generated.
The San Pedro group has put forward a proposal with three components: that industrial meters with the same flow rate as domestic ones pay the same service charge; to maintain the current progressive tiers; and to create a system of incentives or discounts that rewards water savings in both businesses and households. "Apymespa advocates for a fairer and more balanced distribution of costs that promotes the economic sustainability of its business fabric," they explain.
A street problem: the bill that keeps rising
For the small trader in San Pedro, the water bill has become a headache. "A bar with moderate consumption can pay over 100 euros a month just for water, when before it was under 50," comments a local hospitality owner who prefers to remain anonymous. The situation, according to Apymespa, is particularly serious for establishments that hardly use water for washing or daily cleaning, such as bookstores, travel agencies, or real estate agencies. "We pay 40 euros in service charge for a 15 mm meter, the same as a household, but we are charged triple for consumption," summarises a clothing store owner.
The association has elevated the proposal to the Territorial Working Group for Economic Development and the Municipal District Board of San Pedro Alcántara, hoping that the municipal bodies will discuss it and, if applicable, approve a tax regime "that ends the notable inequality suffered by local businesses." Apymespa is confident that the local Corporation will bring the matter to a plenary session.
In the meantime, San Pedro merchants continue to pay a bill that they claim is "not sustainable". The ball is now in the court of the Marbella Town Hall, which must decide whether to review a tariff system that, in the opinion of business owners, punishes precisely those who generate employment and activity in the district.
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