The nation’s top environmental official yesterday rejected the idea of local governments imposing energy taxes on businesses under their jurisdiction, saying it should be the job of the Executive Yuan.
Environmental Protection Administration Minister Stephen Shen (沈世宏) said in Kaohsiung that energy taxes were national taxes and should be assessed by the administration rather than local governments.
Accompanied by legislators, officials and Kaohsiung City councilors, Shen visited the Kaohsiung plants of state-controlled enterprises Tang Eng Iron Works, China Steel Corp (CSC) and Taiwan Power Company to learn more about their carbon dioxide emissions and discharges of dioxin-like compounds.
After hearing a briefing at CSC, Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Li-na (陳麗娜) acknowledged the company’s significant contribution to the country’s economic growth, but said it was also responsible for half of the carbon dioxide emissions generated in the city.
“The local government should impose an energy tax on CSC to make up for its impact on the quality of life and health of residents in the area,” Chen said.
Shen said that scientific evidence was still needed to determine how seriously carbon emissions affected people’s health, adding that if an energy or green tax were levied on CSC, it would be the responsibility of the central government to collect it.
CSC president Tsou Juo-chi (鄒若齊) said the company would do everything it could to save energy and reduce carbon emissions to fulfill its corporate social responsibility. It said a committee was being put together to find ways to minimize the company’s carbon footprint.
“We hope, however, that the administration and the legislature will be fair when they plan energy taxes or evaluate legislation on controlling greenhouse gas emissions so that we can maintain a competitive environment,” Tsou said.
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