DILI, 11 january 2022 (TATOLI)- State Secretary for the Environment, Demétrio Amaral said Timor-Leste has banned the import of plastic waste domestically, but the country continues to import plastic packaging from the top countries from which plastic or rubber was imported like Indonesia, China, and other countries.
“Timor-Leste has banned the import of plastic waste but for special plastic packaging such as plastic food packaging, it is still imported with a high tax percentage of 30%,” State Secretary for the Environment, Demetrio Amaral told Tatoli at his office, Mandarin Dili.
He explained that the reason Timor-Leste maintains imports of food plastic packaging is that the country still relies on production from other countries, therefore he said companies wishing to import food plastic packaging must pay a 30% tax following the 2019 regulations implemented by the Government.
“We made a policy of paying a special 30% tax for plastic food packaging and ice cubes to help the government, increase state revenues. The importers in Timor – Leste have no objection to paying fees from the tax,” said Amaral.
Amaral hopes that in the future Timor Leste will be able to produce its substitute products for plastic food packaging from abroad to reduce improper disposal of plastic waste and reduce its leakage into the environment.
“We will gradually ban plastic food packaging for sugar, ice packs, and foods, Once the country can have other alternatives to produce other inorganic plastics to replace food plastic packaging,” he said.
Relevant News:http://www.tatoli.tl/en/2021/02/04/sea-adopts-the-strategies-to-eliminate-plastics-bags/
Journalist : Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Nelia B
