Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 8 / Trend A.Akhundov /
Bringing individuals and legal entities that caused damage to the environment to taxation becomes more topical in Azerbaijan.
This is stated in the article of the Director of Main Department for Tax Policy and Strategic Research of the Ministry of Taxes of Azerbaijan Akif Musayev, published on Wednesday in the print edition of the ministry - the Taxes newspaper.
"The problem of environmental pollution is very serious for Azerbaijan. This increases the urgency of the issue of bringing to taxation of individuals and legal entities that have caused damage to the environment," Musayev said.
He said the world is developing economic policy instruments designed to prevent environmental pollution.
"For this purpose, a "green" tax policy is being formed. Taxes related to the environment are one the most effective tools for economic and environmental policies. For example, Sweden ranked first in the world in terms of emissions of nitrogen oxides. Introduction in this country in 1992 of a tax for this type of emissions reduced amounts of these emissions by a third in two years," Musayev said.
He said that, apart from Sweden, similar taxes have successfully been introduced in China, Japan, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, UK and Israel.
"According to research by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the correct use of economic policy instruments will allow developed countries to reduce by 2020 the volume of gas emissions by 20 percent. Only due to these factors GDP can be increased by two per cent," Musayev said.