Córdoba transfers its fiscal voracity to water with automatic rate increases

The provincial government has formalized a mechanism for automatic updating of the Water Management Value that will be published month by month on the official website. The measure was formalized through General Resolution No. 37 of APRHI and was recorded in the Official Gazette for immediate effect. With the new regulation, the General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses will publish each month the value used as the basis for calculating fees.

Resolution No. 28 of May 29 set the WMV at $166.87 per cubic meter and required Board approval before each adjustment. The new regulation replaces that scheme and eliminates the need for specific resolutions for each monthly update of the resource value. According to the regulation, the objective is to provide predictability, reduce discretion, and keep the real price of the fee in line with costs and inflation.

The resolution validates the values that the Directorate of Statistics has published since July 2025 and declares them immediately applicable. The change affects the Aguas Cordobesas bill, since the fees for use, transportation, and concession rights are passed on to the end user. The three fees have been included in the concession contract since 2005 and were reinstated in 2018, so any variation impacts the rate.

Impact on municipalities, cooperatives, and users

The adjustment of the WMV will affect municipalities, cooperatives, and companies that use raw water for purification, irrigation, or industrial processes. These actors pay fees calculated based on the WMV, so the periodic update increases their operating costs and affects the production chain. With the automatic mechanism, increases will be passed on to bills more frequently and will reduce predictability for users and municipalities.

In practice, the scheme turns a technical variable into a regular flow of increases that local administrations will have to face in their budgets. The monthly frequency requires cooperatives and municipal governments to review operating costs more often and adjust budget items. That dynamism can also be transferred to the prices of supplies and to services that use water as an input.

In addition, the regulation formalizes the methodology that links the rate to price and cost indices, so macroeconomic volatility will impact the bill more quickly. For residential users, this means less room for forecasting in the face of inflation and cost movements. The adjustment, therefore, is not only technical but also has concrete effects on the daily economy of households and companies.

Fees and the provincial government's indirect revenue

The new mechanism makes it easier for the province to increase indirect revenue through the rate by passing on fees without appearing as responsible for the increase. The adjustment acts as a hidden tax: users and companies end up paying costs that the Province collects through the rate. This dynamic generates additional pressure on purchasing power in a context of high inflation and fiscal adjustment, according to local political critics.

Board members and the opposition pointed out that the proportion of fees in the rate is increasing and concerning for residential users. "The significant increase in the water service rate is largely due to the tax increases promoted by the Provincial Government," said Rodrigo Vega. Dissenting board members argued that the Province increases its revenue through the rate, so the end user bears the cost.

The service increased by 19.1% in February due to costs from September to December 2024, adjusting again in May for expenses from January and February. The May resolution linked the rate to price indices and cost factors; the August regulation orders those values to be published and applied month by month. APRHI keeps that setting prices that reflect costs improves management; the opposition criticizes it as an additional source of revenue.

The automatic water adjustment is a clear example of Córdoba's fiscal voracity, which doesn't reduce its expenses but multiplies them. Instead of reducing the political structure and organizing the accounts, it decides to collect more by charging service users. The provincial government appears inefficient and costly, and finances its excessive size by passing on rates and taxes to citizens.