The Assam State Government has decided to impose Environmental Tax on the use of polythene bags.
Six years ago the state government had imposed ban on the use of polythene bags. After a failed attempt, the state government is once again contemplating imposing a ban on or levying environmental tax on the use of polythene.
In a reply in a zero hour discussion in the state assembly on last week, Assam Development Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “The government is concerned about the environmental impact of polythene. For any reason, if we cannot ban polythene, then we will try to levy an environmental tax on it. But our first priority is to ban it”.
“We had banned polythene around six years ago, but we could not sustain it in the high court and the ban was stayed. Some other states like Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have also banned it and have been able to sustain it in the high court,” the minister added.
Sarma has now asked government officials to consult these two states and prepare a fresh prohibitory order on the use of polythene in the city.
