Bill on reducing fee levied on plastic bags sent to Environment Committee for review

The Committee of the Whole House has decided to refer a government-proposed amendment to the Waste Management Act seeking to introduce a complete ban on the import of waste into the Maldives, while also easing the existing fee levy imposed on plastic bags to the Committee on Environment and Climate Change for further review.

The motion to send the bill – submitted by PNC’s Ungoofaru MP Ibrahim Shifaz on behalf of the government – to the Committee on Environment and Climate Change, which will review the legislation as a sub-committee, was proposed by PNC’s Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah.

Seconded by Baarah MP Ibrahim Shujau, the motion was passed with the votes of 63 lawmakers out of the 72 in attendance. Nine lawmakers voted against the proposal.

According to the government, the primary purpose of the bill is to establish a legal framework to completely prohibit waste imports into the Maldives. The amendment also seeks to revise existing waste management principles to promote sustainability and address challenges identified in the implementation of the current legislation.

One of the key changes proposed in the bill is the removal of the MVR 2 fee currently applied to bundles containing more than 50 plastic bags. If approved, the amendment would exempt wholesale purchases of plastic bags from the existing levy.

The bill emphasizes that removing the fee on larger plastic bag bundles would result in a decline in government revenue. According to figures provided in the legislation, the state has collected MVR 2,011,421 through the plastic bag levy so far this year, compared to total collections of MVR 5.9 million in the previous year.

Under the existing law, waste may be imported into the Maldives with prior authorization from the relevant Ministry and in accordance with regulations established by the institution. The proposed amendment seeks to eliminate this provision entirely.