‘Dust tax’ proposal to curb PM2.5 gains pace
Move seeks to give BMA raft of powers
A proposal for a “dust tax” to penalise parties found guilty of polluting the air has been given fresh impetus by the Council of Engineers.
The council is speeding up its collection of information required before hearings can be held to garner public opinions on its dust tax proposal, council president Suchatvee Suwansawat, said yesterday.
Opinions from the public hearings would be forwarded to the government along with a detailed proposal for the dust tax, he said.
The tax is one of eight proposals the council has come up with to resolve the PM2.5 pollution crisis, which is caused by tiny particles of 2.5 microns or less in diameter.
Most of the other proposals seek to improve the public’s access to realtime information on the air quality situation and had received a favourable response from the government, Mr Suchatvee said.
The government has responded positively to the council’s previous suggestions for tackling the crisis, including a proposal to ban diesel-powered trucks from inner Bangkok on alternate days during January and February when dust pollution is at its peak, he said.
Under the dust tax proposal, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration would be authorised to fine business operators for adding to dust pollution, suspend dust-causing activities such as construction when necessary and require the guilty parties to pay more tax, he said.
The dust tax would also be levied on owners of vehicles emitting black exhaust smoke, he added.
Other proposals previously approved by the government include blackexhaust emission tests for all buses, increasing black-smoke screening points to cover all 50 districts of Bangkok, inspecting factories suspected of causing dust pollution, and subjecting all vehicles owned by state agencies to exhaust tests.
Dust pollution yesterday intensified in several parts of the country.
The Pollution Control Department said levels of PM2.5 exceeded the socalled safe limit of 50 microgrammes per cubic metre (μg/m3) in 10 areas of Bangkok and its vicinity.
Elsewhere, PM2.5 levels in Phitsanulok peaked at 120μg/m3 at midday yesterday.
In Khon Kaen, a refuge was set up for people affected by the dust after PM2.5 levels hit 75μg/m3 yesterday.
An auditorium was fitted with an airfiltering system to turn it into a shelter capable of accommodating up to 400 people, said an informed source.
The province now aims to set up 19 similar shelters to serve residents, said the source.