Producers to finally get eco tax refunds

Producers of packaging waste can finally file for an eco tax exemption after the government made the applications available yesterday.

The move was praised by the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU, which described it as an “important breakthrough”.

The application, available on the Resources Ministry website, allows companies to file for an exemption of the eco tax in line with two legal notices published this year and in 2008.

The government introduced a system by which companies registered in a scheme that involved domestic door-to-door waste collection would be refunded the eco-contribution paid on certain products.

The system, however, did not work well and did not receive the necessary fine-tuning, leaving many businesses without their refund. It also drew the criticism of various organisations including the GRTU and the Chamber of Commerce.

In a statement, the GRTU said it was grateful that the “long protracted issue concerning the publication of all the legal mechanism was now in place”.

The scheme will benefit companies, such as Green MT – a subsidary of GRTU – that collected more than 6,000 tons of waste in 41 local councils between January and June, it said.