To eco-modernize industry, businesses need to get back a portion of the eco-tax, - environmentalists
In order for Ukrainian industrial enterprises to carry out ecological modernization, it is necessary to leave them a part of the funds from the eco-tax, as well as to provide for investments from the budget and mechanisms for attracting investments.
This was stated by representatives of environmental organizations during a public discussion of the draft National Economic Strategy-2030 on the topic "Development of Industry, Transport and Infrastructure."
According to Valeria Zaruzhko, Vice-President of the Professional Association of Ecologists of Ukraine for Sustainable Development, currently most of the funds from the eco-tax are not used for environmental protection measures, as they are transferred not to a special target fund, but to the general fund of the budget.
"The eco-tax needs reform. First of all, it is necessary to change the proportion - 70% of its volume should be left at the local level, and 30% should be directed to a special target fund," said Zaruzhko.
In turn, Stanislav Zinchenko, Head of the EBA Committee on Ecology and Sustainable Development, emphasized that Ukraine's fulfillment of international environmental obligations should not become a basis for worsening competitive conditions for domestic energy and industry.
"Ukraine cannot be a leader in the fight against climate change. The leaders of this process are the richest countries in the world, which are also leaders in greenhouse gas emissions. But we can and must set ambitious goals to ensure sustainable development: for example, in the active introduction of recycling and the creation of new industries - processing of household and industrial waste for their further use. We have huge potential in the direction of the circular economy: for example, the use of slag in road construction and repair," said Zinchenko.
In his opinion, Ukraine needs to be part of the Green Deal already at the policy development stage, in order to be a full-fledged partner with the EU on the one hand, and to protect Ukrainian interests in export markets on the other. However, currently the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC2) and the Position Paper do not contain clearly defined sources of financing/investments.
That is why, according to him, the Committee on Ecology and Sustainable Development of the European Business Association proposes to create financial instruments that will help enterprises with eco-modernization. These instruments include attracting foreign investments in decarbonization, ecological modernization and the waste processing industry, effective targeted use of environmental tax revenues, cooperation with international financial institutions and the creation of funds that will attract funds from international financial institutions.
It should be recalled that earlier the American Chamber of Commerce (ACC) called on the Verkhovna Rada to grant economic entities the right to use up to 70% of the environmental tax to compensate for environmental protection costs and environmental investments.
At the same time, Lyudmyla Tsyganok, President of the Professional Association of Ecologists of Ukraine, stated that the funds from the environmental tax collection must be given a targeted nature and directed exclusively to environmental projects.
In turn, ex-Prime Minister, President of the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Anatoliy Kinakh stated that the adoption of the draft law on industrial emissions (No. 4167) in its current form would strike a blow to enterprises and deepen the industrial crisis.
Source <https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/promyshlennost-provela-ekomodernizatsiyu-1612783387.html>