The business entities that generate packaging waste will pay a pollution tax for the weight of packing, not per unit of packing as now. Also, the entrepreneurs who will gather and recycle packaging waste will benefit from exemption depending on the achieved targets. This is provided in a bill that was proposed for public consultations by the Parliament’s environment commission, IPN reports.
Ina Coșeru, the commission’s deputy charwoman, said that the law on payments for environmental pollution is to be amended after the regulations on packing and packaging waste took effect on January 1 this year. These regulations place packaging extended producer responsibility. Respectively, the companies that generate such type of waste pay an environmental tax and are obliged to form part of a collective association or a collective system for gathering packaging waste or to organize independently this service for achieving the target that is stipulated in these regulations. “Business entities’ dissatisfaction is normal and we realize this. Therefore, the necessity of such a legislative initiative appeared,” said the MP.
Mihai Rusu, the representative of the Ministry of Environment, said the initiative comes to change the definitions so as to more clearly define packaging. It is also stipulated the exemption that is offered to business entities for collecting and recycling packaging waste. The bill stipulates the formula based on which the recycling and collection targets are calculated. The targets will be increased from next year as the tax exemption mechanism is introduced for the business entities to manage to utilize the packaging. New categories of packaging are introduced, such as paper and cardboard, plastic, glass and metals. Separate taxes will be stipulated for each category. The targets will be modified depending on the packaging type.
Ștefan Golubchuk, who heads the Association of Fruit and Vegetable Processors, said he does not agree with the fact that the Tetra Pak is moved from the paper and cardboard category to the category of composite material as natural justice can be packed only in glass or in Tetra Pak. “If such a heavy burden is placed on this packaging type, I’m afraid that the business entities will try to avoid this type of packing so as not to pay large sums. The natural juice can disappear from our market and this is dangerous,” stated Ștefan Golubciuc.
The representatives of the business community consider the proposed taxes, like those on composite material, burden local producers. According to them, the amendments to the current law favor rather the importers, not local producers.
