Tax on single-use plastics pushed

The Department of Finance is pushing for the slapping of duties on singleuse plastics amid worsening climate change.

In a television interview, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the move toward climate financing should be supported.

“On our part on the tax side, I think we should think of some measures that we can do to reduce pollution,” Diokno said.

“For example, tax on single-use plastic is worth considering,” he said.

House Bill 9171 or the Excise Tax on Plastic Bags targets to slap a P20 per kilo tax on single-use plastic bags in supermarkets, malls, shops, stores, sales outlets, and other establishments.

The bill was approved in December last year but the Senate is still crafting its counterpart version.

The DOF earlier estimated that around P923 million in revenue could be generated should the measure be enacted into law.

Diokno emphasized that the Philippines is one of the most vulnerable in terms of climate change.

“And so it is in our own interest that the movement toward climate change should be supported,” Diokno said.

“On the expenditure side, I think some kind of a joint effort by the national government and local governments on green activities like cleaning of the river, reforestation, developing mangroves, among others should be done,” he said.

Plastic pollution remains one of the county’s greatest waste problems and nongovernment organization BAN Toxics earlier called on the new administration to prioritize the plastic crisis.

“We hope to see a concrete action plan tackling the plastic pollution issue followed by its strict implementation and monitoring,” the group said.

A recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showed that developing economies in Asia are seen consuming and contributing most to global plastic waste in the decades to come.

Global plastics consumption is expected to rise to 1.23 billion metric tons (MT) in 2060 from the 2019 level of 460 million MT if bold policies are not implemented.

About 60 percent of plastic waste entering the oceans comes from five Asian countries namely China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Philippines is also the world’s third biggest plastic polluter.