THIS TOWN STOKES CONTROVERSY WITH TAX ON RAIN

The Russian town of Kungur has stoked a controversy by introducing a tax on rain, charging residents seven rubles a month for rainwater that flows from the roof into the sewer. People protested the move saying that the discharge from the roof is either dried by the sun or soaked into the ground. However, authorities rebuffed saying that the measure was "absolutely legal", adding that the water entering the sewage system includes both wastewater and rainwater.