To preface: Scotland does not have socialism.

But, water here is controlled by a quasi-publicly owned company and paid for via general home taxation (known as council tax). There is no meters tracking usage, we’re free to use as much as we wish.

I never have to think or worry about usage. If I need water I get water. It’s paid for as part of my general taxation, as you put it, a token price.

As an added bonus to being quasi-publicly run, as opposed to privately for profit, we’ve had very few of the water scarcity or quality scandals that have plagued England for years now. Resulting in national headlines, political campaigns, and court cases.

If the same were offered for other utilities I would be delighted.

I’m posting this comment so that people have real life examples they can refer to.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Water

Note: businesses still pay per usage, this setup is only for home use