NEWS reports said, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has finally selected 757 environment-polluting industries for levying environment surcharge after eight months of the introduction of environment pollution tax. A gazette notification has been issued with the names of the industries meant for the surcharge (green tax) at a rate of 1 percent of the original tax, according to reports. The list of the companies was prepared based on information given by the Department of Environment that included tanneries, leather industries, textile mills, washing, dyeing and finishing plants, pharmaceutical industries and a host of others. Most of these pollutant factories are located in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna zones. It appears that the government has imposed environment tax only on listed polluting ‘industries’ but since brick kilns; which pollute the environment more than many others are not treated as industry under existing law they remained out of the purview of the new tax regime.
As we see the initiative should have been taken long time ago, but we must say that it is better being implemented later than never and that would moreover bring kilns under pollution law and surcharge. It is about time that polluting industries to be penalized for harming the environment and not taking the green steps, which are recommended to protect people and the nature but so far being avoided. In practical terms, we must say mere 1 percent surcharge is not enough to penalize the companies, they may feel easier to pay it rather going for expensive green steps. So we believe a much higher percentage should be levied as surcharge which may probably deter them from practicing polluting methods of production and look for greener production alternatives in order to curb pollution in one hand and their names taken off the list of polluting companies on the other.
We suggest that there must be complete transparency to achieve the objective and the government must shun partisan consideration in applying the tax law and surcharge where industry owners may belong to the ruling party. The environment is already highly polluted in the industrial zones and we can’t let it further degraded by way of allowing parties to go without implementing the recommended green methods under cover of financial corruption and such other manipulations within and outside the government. We believe genuine steps should be taken to implement environment tax and surcharge where polluting industries will be found liable for lack of concern or failing to uphold the law and protect the nature.
