Referendum "Popular initiative for the abolition of development charges for sand tracks"

In Brandenburg, the "Popular initiative for the abolition of development charges for sand tracks" has called for a referendum to be held. By means of a referendum, eligible voters in Brandenburg can ensure that the state parliament deals with the concerns of the referendum and casts a vote.

For this, at least 80,000 eligible voters in the state of Brandenburg must support the referendum with their signatures within six months.

The petition for a referendum has the following wording:

Popular initiative to abolish development charges for "sand tracks"
The state parliament is called upon to abolish municipal development charges for so-called "sand tracks", i.e. for development facilities or parts of development facilities that were constructed or used for traffic purposes before 3 October 1990. The state parliament should make a corresponding amendment to the Local Rates Act.

Rationale: Roads are part of the infrastructure and therefore a public service for everyone. As a public space, they should also be financed by the general public. A particular advantage for neighbouring properties cannot be quantified. Residents' participation in development charges is only justified in the case of newly constructed roads because they are then able to access their property with vehicles for the first time. In the case of a "sandy track" that has existed for decades, however, this possibility existed even earlier. In this case, the residents should also be able to rely on the fact that no development contribution obligations will arise for the carriageway, drainage, pavement and roadside greenery due to the many years of use. If, despite this, a development charge is levied, this often leads to a lack of understanding among those affected and undermines their trust in the legal system. For reasons of legal certainty and fairness, it is necessary to exclude so-called "sand tracks" from the collection of development charges. Incidentally, development charges are not levied for state and federal roads either.

From 12 October 2021 to 11 April 2022, the petition for a referendum can be signed at the town hall of the municipality of Rüdersdorf bei Berlin (Hans-Striegelski-Str. 5, 15562 Rüdersdorf bei Berlin).

All citizens can participate in the referendum who

• have reached the age of 16,
• have had their habitual residence in the State of Brandenburg for at least one month and
• are not excluded from voting rights.

Registration is possible at the following times:

It is also possible to vote by letter. You can submit an online application for this.

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