GHC47m environmental tax diverted?

About GH¢47 million, which accrued from the environmental tax, is said to be sitting in the confers of government since its inception over five years ago.

Speaking in an interview with The Finder, the Commercial Manager of Voltic Ghana Limited, Mr Raymond Mensah Gbetivi, said about a year and half ago, industry players met with Representatives from the Ministry of Finance at the Labadi Beach Hotel where it was confirmed that the said amount has not used for its intended purpose.

He explained that the Ministry of Local Government was expected to come up with programmes that would be funded by the tax but that has not been done.

He said that the tax was levied to assist small-scale recycle companies to have access to interest-free or soft loans to boost their business since plastic management in the country was expensive.

“Everyone who packages in plastics is taxed about 10 per cent on the cost of importation of plastic and production and that goes into the government coffers,” he said.

Mr Gbetivi noted that per the law that established the environmental tax, the Local Government Ministry is to bring on board programmes for the funds to be released but at the time they met, nothing was done hence the inability to utilise the fund.

The Commercial Manager spoke with the paper on the sidelines of the launch of Evolve Phase Three as part of celebration of the World Environment Day at the Residence of the Australian High Commission in Accra yesterday.

As part of their contribution, Voltic Ghana Limited invested about GH¢130,000 towards the success of Evolve in addition to the provision of the first 20 Evolve containers, a collection truck, two 40-footer containers for storage of recyclables at a collection site and two tricycles for the pick-up of plastic bottles to the collection sites.

The Australian High Commission through the Australia Aid has also contributed GH¢80,000 for the provision of 40 additional containers for the collection.

The High Commissioner, Mr Andrew Barnes, mentioned that sanitation and waste management has become a serious issue in the country and commended government and other agencies for the fight against the menace.

He said having a clean environment is a collective responsibility and called on all Ghanaians to help in the fight against sanitation and waste management.

Executive Director of Environment360, Ms Cordie Aziz, said her organisation has impacted to the lives of about 10,000 pupils from selected communities in Accra and has also invested about GH¢59,000 in their activities.

She said they have created innovative community and corporate recycling programmes that help raise funds for environmental education with support from the Ghana Education Service (GES).