Opposition targets eco-tax in environment debate

Opposition speakers Joe Brincat and Rodderick Galdes yesterday hit out at the governemnt over the introduction and extension of the eco-tax, saying this tax was doing nothing to protect the environment.

Mr Galdes, speaking during the budget debate, said the government had not done anything in the past year to address the environment commitments it knew it was going in for when Malta joined the EU.

There would have been nothing wrong in eco-tax had it truly served to improve the environment. But the way the government had introduced this tax did not encourage the people to use eco-friendly products.

No producer or importer were taking initiatives to encourage the people to use alternative materials on which they would not have to pay eco tax. In this budget, the government had extended the eco-tax net in an unfair way. Clearly this tax needed to be revised to directly address the environment.

Mr Galdes said local councils had had a positive impact on the environment but they were not being given the desired support to do more.

The Labour MP said waste disposal methods in Malta were still primitive. Indeed, effective action needed to be taken to reduce waste in the first place.

Malta should consider various ways of waste disposal, including land reclamation. Such ideas and concepts should not be immediately rejected. Facilities were also needed for the better disposal of old cars.

The dumping of waste in quarries had been a positive step forward, introduced by the Labour government of 1997. But was there a good strategy for the rehabilitation of these quarries. Were they to be used just for the planting of vines? Could some not be used for the development of parks, for example?

Mr Galdes pointed out that in certain areas of the countryside, non-endemic trees, such as the Acacia, were still being planted. Mepa, which was supposed to lead by example, also planted non-endemic trees alongside the new Appeal's Board offices.

Mr Galdes called for greater impetus on the protection of birds. With more information and awareness, he was sure that problems such as illegal hunting would be addressed.

There was also need for reserved areas to protect the marine environment.

Mr Galdes said the government needed to encourage the greater use of public transport, so as to reduce congestion and resultant excessive emissions on the roads.

The travel cards idea should be studied further since this promoted efficiency and encouraged commuters to continue using public transport.

Would the government explain why the Green wardens had not been introduced yet?

Near the end of his speech, Mr Galdes urged the government to check the amount of asbestos in buildings such as hospitals and corporations.

Joe Brincat (MLP) also criticised the way the eco-tax was imposed. This was a revenue-raising tax, not a tax to protect the environment. The same tax was paid on a toaster and a fridge. Did their disposal have the same impact on the environment? The government needed to promote the use of bio-degradable bags instead of normal bags, for example. Dr Brincat said he was informed that the project which was to be undertaken at Sant'Antnin waste recyling plant was the fruit of crisis management which Eastserv wanted Mepa to hastily approve so as not to lose EU funding.

What was the real thinking behind ths project? It certainly made no sense for the country's waste to be ferried all over the island on its way to Sant'Antnin.

Had a study been made on the possibility of generating pwer from waste, as was done in the US and the UK? In Messina, sea currents were used for power generation. Surely such projects could be adopted for Gozo, making it less reliant on Malta for its energy needs? Indeed, far too little was being done to promtoe alternative sustainable sources of energy.

The people were being invited to instal solar panels but the governemnt should lead by example.

Dr Brincat said the accent at Mepa clearly remained on planning, but he feared that the authority was wasting too much time on unnecessary detail. It would be useful for architects to know exactly where they stood to avoid unnecessary time wasting in the processing of development applications.

"Development" should be better defined. Should this word cover everything, including satellite dishes and washing lines on the roof?

Dr Brincat said that land reclamation or the creation of reefs could create a better environment for fish. Smaller countries, such as Monaco had expanded their territory through land reclamation.

The governemnt also needed to give greater attention to issues of noise pollution. There were certain areas where noise was too loud.

Dr Brincat also suggested that prickly pear plants should be increasingly used as wind breakers instead of plain, ugly walls and one should also consider products made from the prickly pear.