Municipal housing charges, 2001, January

The increases in municipal fees in January this year were distributed differently among the various regions in Norway. The Sørlandet/Rogaland region saw the largest increase, with a growth of 9.7 per cent, while fees in Trøndelag showed the lowest growth, at 6.0 per cent. Municipal fees grew faster than the consumer price index, which increased by 3.1 per cent in the same period. The increase in the valued-added tax from 23 to 24 per cent in January this year was a contributing factor.

Water and sewage fees

On an average national basis as of January 2001, households in the sample municipalities paid <br/>NOK 1 900 for water and NOK 2 860 for sewage. Annual water fees range from NOK 715 to 4 876, while sewage fees vary between NOK 578 and 6 336. Among sample municipalities around 50 per cent of sewage fees are in the NOK 1 500-3 000 range, while water fees range from NOK 1 000 to <br/>2 000. Fees according to stipulated consumption are the most common, but as of January 2001, there are 23 municipalities among the 124 sample municipalities where all or more than half of the households pay fees according to actual use.

Refuse collection service and chimney sweeping fee

Average refuse collection fee is NOK 1 872 and the fees range between NOK 1 018 and 2 952. Only three municipalities in the sample have refuse collection fees under NOK 1 250 while just over 30 per cent of the municipalities have refuse collection fees in excess of NOK 2 000. Among the sample municipalities, the chimney-sweeping fee averages NOK 220 and ranges from a low of NOK 62 to a high of NOK 434.

The sample of Statistics Norways annual survey consists of 100 of the largest municipalities in Norway along with 24 smaller municipalities and covers three-fourths of the countrys population. The municipalities have provided information on technical services such as water, sewage, refuse collection and chimney seeping. The fee basis consists of fees set by the municipal council or other authority for 2001. To obtain comparable figures, the fees for water and sewage are tied to a standard house of 120 square metres with either stipulated or actual water consumption. In municipalities where it is most common to pay according to actual use measured by water meter, the price per cubic metre is multiplied by a standard consumption of 175 cubic metres. The refuse collection fee is measured on the basis of a standard whole-year subscription. All published figures include value-added tax.