"No extension to the entry into force of the plastic tax: the measure announced in the Milleproroghe Decree which provided for its postponement is not currently under discussion in the Chamber", says Unionplast whose president Marco Bergaglio, who is also vice-president of the Plastic Gomma Federation, raises the alarm hoping for intervention from the government and Parliament.
"On our industry, a sector of importance" in Italy with its 50,000 direct employees and 13 billion euros in turnover, after the complex European 'discussion' on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, another ax is about to fall - explains Bergaglio - Yes risks triggering a dangerous domino effect, because the application of the plastic tax from 1 July would have a negative impact on numerous industrial supply chains" - agricultural, food, cosmetics - "where plastic packaging is fundamental for production and business. Action must be taken once and for all by repealing a useless tax, allowing the sector to plan adequately and clearing away the clouds that are gathering over the sector".
"The operators - continues Bergaglio - will be burdened with a sanction risk that is completely disproportionate in relation to the revenue, putting at risk the access to credit of an entire sector.
The underlying ideological imprint of the introduction of this tax remains, which was not accompanied by an impact assessment that scientifically proves its environmental usefulness, also because it does not in any way provide for the proceeds to be used for environmental purposes, for example to enhance the collection and recycling of taxed packaging".
The recycling chain, recalls Bergaglio, "is an Italian excellence in Europe: in 2022, 523,789 tons of virgin raw material were saved (the equivalent necessary to produce 11 billion 1-liter detergent bottles) and 885,406 tons of Co2 emissions avoided (Corepla data)".
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