Staptarief

Staptarief, in Dutch, refers to a pricing structure in which the price consists of a sequence of discrete steps. Each step corresponds to a defined range of usage or distance, and the price within that step applies to the portion of consumption that falls into the step. In practice the total bill is the sum of charges across all applicable steps. A typical example is electricity or gas where the first 50 kilowatt-hours are billed at one rate, the next 50 at a higher rate, and any consumption above that at an even higher rate. Some formulations use fixed base charges plus tiered marginal rates, while others use a pure block approach where units within each step have the same price.

Staptarief is common in sectors where usage varies considerably between customers and where policy aims to incentivize conservation or manage demand. It is also used in transportation pricing, including tickets that depend on the number of zones or distance traveled; crossing into a new zone adds a higher step to the fare.

Advantages of a staptarief include relative transparency for consumers and straightforward billing. Drawbacks include potential price distortion for intermediate users and complexity in understanding the exact bill because several steps may apply. In regulatory contexts, authorities may require clear disclosure of the step structure and the thresholds.

The term translates roughly as 'step tariff' or 'tiered tariff' in English and is characteristic of Dutch-speaking pricing discussions.