Payment exemption of fixed water tariffs to companies and local trade approved by the Municipal Assembly

The Municipal Assembly of Porto approved unanimously the new exceptional support measure to non-household customers regarding exemption from payment of fixed water tariffs, sanitation and urban waste management invoiced in the first quarter of this year. The catering industry and local trade suffered a sharp reduction of their revenues due to the ongoing pandemic.

Already during the first lockdown, the Municipality of Porto had implemented this measure, as highlighted yesterday by vice-Mayor of Porto City Hall, Filipe Araújo, who was representing the Mayor Rui Moreira in the Municipal Assembly meeting. This time, Filipe Araújo stated, the Municipality of Porto implements the exceptional support measure in a swifter way “by allowing immediate exemption to non-household clients that have a registered branch of activity (CAE) within the Águas do Porto”, and that matches “catering activities, take away meals, cafés, bakeries, bars and similar, discos, dance and party salons, hairdressers, beauty salons or wellbeing and fitness institutes.”

Businesses that comply with this requirement do not need to fill in any form to the municipal company Águas do Porto as they are immediately exempted from paying fixed water tariffs. Thus, there are, affirmed the vice-Mayor, “circa 1.600 commercial establishments that can benefit from this measure automatically”.

Nonetheless, the Águas e Energia do Porto enhances that such customers must confirm if they hold a CAE registration regarding the above mentioned activities. To do so, they have to access the “Balcão Digital da Águas do Porto” and check if they need to adhere to this measure. If not, they are immediately covered by this mechanism.

Entry requirements to benefit from the exceptional support measure with no registered CAE

This exceptional support measure, by the municipal company Águas e Energia do Porto and Porto Ambiente, which had already been approved early this month by the Municipal Executive, covers non-household customers that have a significant loss in terms of sales volume due to the total or partial closing of their businesses under the lockdown.

Also, clients that do not have a registered CAE associated to their invoice must present a request of exemption form payment of the fixed water tariffs, sanitation and urban waste management regarding the invoices of the first quarter of the year, if the following is observed: activities that have been totally or partially closed by Govern Decree, legal or administrative ordinance; activity with a sharp reduction of at least 40%, of the invoice in the period of 30 days prior to the presentation of the request, and compared to the previous two months or the same period last year; activities commenced at least 12 months ago and with a sharp reduction of at least 40% of the invoice as an average for that period.

Requests for exemption can be presented starting today, 13th April, and for a period of two months, upon filing in an online form available at the Balcão Digital da Águas do Porto.

The municipal company has an online chat to clarify doubts. Alternatively, customers can contact Águas e Energia do Porto at the phone numbers 225 190 800 or 220 100 220.

At the same time, the Águas e Energia do Porto municipal company relies on the collaboration of all customers to report the water Reading regarding the water bill to avoid billing based on estimates. To do that, customers can use the Balcão Digital or the App (aplicação da Águas e Energia do Porto). Another reliable way is to provide the water report via the Linha de Comunicação de Leituras: 800 020 004 (available 24 hours).