Preserving our environment could be probably one of the biggest challenges ever faced by mankind. Surprisingly, this problem is created by the man himself. Even though, this is one of the most serious issues, there is still not much awareness on this. We come across several things and products in our day to day life which has huge impact on our environment.

Some of the limited resources like Water and Electricity could be easily saved by switching to environmental friendly products. For eg: We can save electricity by opting to energy saving lamps, save water through water efficient bathrooms, etc. Yes, these are all known facts to most of us. But how do we ask people to change a product which he has been using for a long time. Answer to this question and the problem of Environmental Preservation could be implementation of ENVIRONMENTAL LEVY / DUTY

Environmental Levy / Duty could be the answer !!

Governments can play a big part in preserving our environment through implementation of Environmental Levy / Duty. Under this system of Taxation, Governments would be required to have norms set for all products like (1) Electricity Watts consumption for Electrical Appliances (2) Water consumption for bathroom fittings, washing machines (3) Fuel Consumption for Vehicles,etc. Any product or equipment which doesn’t match the standards set for its category of products should be subject to “ENVIRONMENTAL LEVY / DUTY”.  As a result of this levy, costs of such products will automatically increased as compared to other environmental friendly products and hence discourage people from purchasing such products. It is normal human tendency to go for cheaper products if there is not much difference in its utility. No doubt, some people may still prefer to buy those goods in spite of ENVIRONMENTAL LEVY/ DUTY, but they will also indirectly contribute to the exchequer. Governments can utilize the levy towards preserving our environment. In the longer run, manufacturers will also think of making their products environmental friendly otherwise they may not be able to compete with cheaper (Due to levy on products which are not environmental friendly) environmental products

To summarize, the advantages of this Environmental Levy / Duty are as under;

1. Additional revenue generation for governments which will be used for preserving our environment.
2. Discourage people from buying products which are not environmental friendly
3. Will force manufacturers to think of making their products “Green”
4. Create awareness amongst the people on environment

Are the Governments listening??

Shabandri  Tanveer Ahmed