[GRRN] Sweden proposes national landfill tax

John Reindl (reindl@co.dane.wi.us)
Wed, 18 Aug 1999 16:18:55 -0600

According to the June issue of the magazine, Swedenvironment, a
proposal for a national landfill tax in Sweden is moving forward.
Denmark and the UK have had a similar tax for several years, and
Norway adopted a national landfill and incineration tax last year.

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Tax on landfill

THE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED landfill tax has now been passed to
the Swedish Riksdag. The tax will be SEK 250 (Euro 28) per metric
tonne from 1 January 2000. Waste for which landfill is currently the only
alternative, such as radioactive waste, waste from mining and certain
industrial waste, is exempt from the tax. The aim is to reduce the
amount of rubbish and to find more environmentally sound methods of
waste management. The landfill tax is expected to reduce the number
of landfill sites, with a concentration on larger, more specialised sites =
in
the future.

The tax is paid by disposal facility operators. Waste brought in is
taxed and a corresponding amount is repaid for any waste that is sorted
and removed. Tax is not levied on waste that is composted or
incinerated.

The landfill tax is expected to boost the nation=92s coffers to the
amount of SEK 1.36 b (Euro 153m), with around three-quarters
originating from household waste.

Information:
Susanne =C5kerfeldt, Ministry of Finance, Tel: +46-8-4051382,
E-mail: susanne.akerfeldt@finance.ministry.se

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The Web site is for this article is:

http://www.environ.se:8083/swedenvironment/no9903/9903.html#art7

reindl@co.dane.wi.us
(608)267-1533 - fax
(608)267-8815 - phone