South Africa has close to 60 000 waste pickers who play a substantial role in the country’s waste management industry. As part of the country’s informal waste sector, they help recover recyclables from household waste streams, as well as waste materials sent to landfill sites. With the country in a national lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak, these waste reclaimers … [Read more...]
SA’s inadequate nuclear liability regulations finally updated
South Africa’s inadequate nuclear liability regulations have finally been updated and gazetted by Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe. This news comes after almost six years of Greenpeace Africa pushing the Minister to do so to protect taxpayers from the potentially astronomical costs of a nuclear accident. "We can finally celebrate the fact that the … [Read more...]
5 ‘green’ taxes that are hitting South Africans in the pocket
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has released a graph showing all of the additional environmental taxes that South Africans are currently paying. The organisation said that these taxes have contributed a total of R103. 61 billion, but have not been clearly linked to real changes in behaviour. “It would be disastrous if an issue as critical as climate change was … [Read more...]
Investor interest in sustainability performance on the rise
Long relegated as a fringe issue on the corporate agenda, sustainability is fast becoming a rising concern among investors and shareholders, said business heads from leading Singapore companies on Wednesday. Speaking at a panel discussion on sustainability and climate change hosted by the Singapore Exchange, representatives from Singapore-listed companies DBS Bank, City … [Read more...]
How green is our city?
I thought that you might be interested in a green issue with the Cape Town City Council, writes our reader, Peter Brooks: Their CTCC is claiming to be green - and they are doing some good things, like supporting solar water heaters and large solar farms. City discouraging domestic PV generation However, they're doing their best, despite the capacity problems with Eskom, to … [Read more...]
Claiming energy efficiency tax incentives
This article looks at what can be claimed, what is not claimable, who can issue reports and where to find these persons and companies, what should be on the certificate for SARS, the steps to start the claiming process, where to log your intention to start claiming tax, access to the relevant sourcing documentation, and workshops that are planned to communicate the … [Read more...]
Taxes on EU coal generation
Taxes on power generation, if not widespread, are becoming increasingly popular in Europe, as governments target utilities making significant profits from burning cheap coal in a low carbon price environment, states a GlobalData energy consultant. January 2013 saw the Netherlands introduce a €13.73 per tonne tax on coal in an aim to reduce coal consumption, raise revenue and … [Read more...]
Energy hikes spell hard times for poorer households
Eskom’s planned electricity tariff hikes of 16% each year for the next five years has not been received well. At the meetings held around the country with the National Electricity Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) to make a final decision about the tariff increases, NUMSA and other smaller organisations held demonstrations to show their disapproval with the proposed changes. … [Read more...]
Recycling levy for tyres?
The production and import of new tyres in South Africa will be subject to a R2,30 a kilogram levy to be used for collection and recycling, the group which will manage a waste tyre management plan said on Tuesday. Uplifting the community The Integrated Industry Waste Tyre Management Plan will be implemented and managed by the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of … [Read more...]
Belgium to double controversial nuclear tax
Belgium’s Energy Minister Melchior Wathelet has recently announced that the tax imposed by Belgium on the nuclear power industry will without doubt be extended to 2013. The Energy Minister confirmed that the amount of the nuclear tax in 2013 would broadly be around EUR550m (USD716m), in keeping with the figure proposed last month by negotiators from Belgium’s six leading … [Read more...]
Carbon Tax for Real Change
South Africa's proposed carbon tax is set to act as just another tax on South Africans while inadequately addressing issues of climate change - the very problem it was designed to address. This is because the revenue generated will not be earmarked to tackle issues of climate change, rather it will simply flow into government coffers. Because of this many claim that the tax … [Read more...]
Regulating energy efficiency tax incentives
Measurement and verification professionals will now be regulated and accredited by a new body to assist the roll out of tax incentives for demonstrated energy savings. The Council for Measurement and Verification Professionals of South Africa (CMVPSA) is a Section 21 company established as a Chapter of the SAEE to regulate M&V practitioners (individuals) in the industry. … [Read more...]
