The import of timber will be exempt from value-added tax (VAT) in Georgia in order to prevent illegal tree felling in the country, Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has announced, Agenda reports.
This means that there will be less motivation for cutting trees in Georgia. At the same time important restrictions will be imposed on exporting wooden logs and wooden planks. These regulations will be healthy and will meet the challenges that we face today. Thanks to these regulations we will be able to restore green cover and foster the re-foresterisation process”, said Bakhtadze.
Bakhtadze noted that the Investigation Service of Georgia’s Ministry of Finance has arrested 15 individuals for the illegal sale of wooden materials by using fake tax documents.
Earlier this year the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia announced thatlaws that concern forests and relevant legislative amendments had been proposed to the parliament of Georgia.
The amendments will make an individually criminally accountable for tree felling if they have already faced administrative measures.
The sanctions will also be tightened against illegally cutting trees from the Red List and this action will be criminally prosecutable.