2023-09-13 13:29:44
The Swedish government announced this Wednesday that the tax on plastic bags will disappear from November 2024, thus raising concerns about its environmental policy. “We are convinced that Swedes use plastic bags wisely in their daily lives and that there is no reason why they should be more expensive,” said the Minister of Climate and Environment, Romina Pourmokhtari, on Swedish public television SVT.
This tax of three crowns (25 euro cents) per checkout bag was introduced in 2020 to achieve the European Union’s consumption target for plastic bags. This target is set at a maximum of 40 bags per person in 2025. In 2022, Swedes bought 17 plastic bags per person per year, compared to 74 in 2019, the year before the tax was introduced, according to the Tax Agency. environmental protection (EPA).
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The right-wing government in power since 2022, supported by the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) party, indicated earlier this year that it was considering drastically reducing the tax on plastic bags. “The tax is considered to have certain negative effects, such as administrative costs, and may also lead to an increase in the consumption of alternatives,” said the Swedish executive in a press release. These alternatives include purchasing trash bags or paper bags.
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