BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 22. Proposals for the introduction of environmental taxes will be prepared in Azerbaijan, Deputy Head of the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy Samira Musayeva told reporters on the sidelines of the ministry's event on business-related roadmaps held in Baku on May 22, Trend reports.
According to her, environmental taxes are applied in most countries around the world, and it is reasonable to introduce them in Azerbaijan as well.
"This year, Azerbaijan will host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29). There is a need to implement tax reforms that ensure and promote environmental sustainability in our country.
As the State Tax Service, we'll conduct extensive discussions with the public and prepare proposals for the introduction of environmental taxes and the implementation of reforms that contribute to the environmentally sustainable development of the economy," Musayeva emphasized.
She explained that such taxes should be levied on enterprises whose activities negatively impact the environment.
"Similar types of taxes, such as the carbon dioxide emissions tax, are applied in the European Union, the US, Russia, and other countries. We are exploring the possibility of introducing a similar tax in our country. Discussions on this issue are ongoing," the official added.
To note, this November, Azerbaijan will host COP29. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary meeting held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Baku will become the center of the world and will receive about 70–80,000 foreign guests.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. The COP—the Conference of the Parties—is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 198 countries that are parties to the Convention. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the COP is held annually. The first COP event took place in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.
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