Green tariffs

WITH the world'senvironment in afragile state, an environment tax, if introduced, could take theworld through aprocess of sustainedeconomic and environmental development, say the authorsof the State of the World 1996, a reportreleased by the Washington -basedthink-tank- World Watch Institute on January 14.

The environment tax should takethe place of income tax and could reverse the trends that are leading tohotter summers, falling water tables,continuing deforestation, acceleratingextinction of species and rising foodprices. The report also calls for a ban onsubsidies promoting destructive activities like mining, over-fishing and fossilfuel banking.

"Today's tax system was designed ata time when renewable resources, suchas fresh water, forest products andsea-food, far exceeded human needsand when pollution was negligible,"says Lestor R Brown, senior authorof the report. But the changed scenario today calls for a renewed lookinto the old system and also to seek achange in tax policies to benefit theenvironment.