Beppe Grillo's Blog: Let’s Tax Polluters

Let’s Tax Polluters

When we buy a magazine we need to discard the plastic covering, the advertising inserts, the postcards, the discount vouchers.

At the first rubbish bin we throw them all away.

The newsagents have become refuse distribution points.

In fact if you notice, the rubbish bins are placed by the local authorities just by the newsagents.

A real waste. Why don’t we throw all this rubbish away while we’re still in the shop, and with delicacy, leave it all on the counter?

It’s quicker and it’s also fairer, we haven’t bought rubbish, so they should keep it.

And the rubbish collectors, the refuse disposal units, all the office workers of the urban cleaning department of the local authorities are paid by us, not by l’Espresso, or by Panorama (popular magazines).

I suggest that the quota relating to the recycling of the plastic and the publicity inserts of the magazines, should be paid by the publishers.

Maybe directly at the source, with an ecology tax, speedily done.

But the periodicals are only an example.

Every time that we go shopping, we need to think about pollution and about the effects we are producing.

A toothpaste can be bought in a box or not. In the latter case we don’t need to throw the box away, in the former case the producer should be taxed.

Whoever pollutes should pay. Today who pollutes is supported.

We support mines, petrol, transport.

We must support instead energy saving, renewable energy sources, production for local consumption.

Taxes in the world amount to about 7,500,000,000,000 dollars. 95% of this is from income, profits, companies and commerce.

Pollution is not taxed.

Ecological damage today is paid by the consumer. It must be paid by the producer.

Comments

Speaking abt ecology
I do not remember the county that staged that succesful protests for the ONLY GOD KNOWS what refuses to be littered in their county.
I remember that at a latter stage they were thinking of dumping the Northern italians's hospital refuses( i am quite sure that there were FRENCH NUCLEAR WASTES INCLUDED, pls see GREENPEACE's report on europeans'radioactivity secretes downloadable on www.greenpeace.org )in Sicily's dismissed SULPHUR AND MINERAL SALTS in CAltanissetta (PASQUASIA) ENNA and AGRIGENTO.
CAN someone do some research and ceck if Sicily is gonna produce 'CHERNOBYL' style CAULIFLOWERS at any stage.If they do then i ont even go on holidays to see my only almost newborn nephew!

CIAO
Maria Consuelo Spera
63 The Headlands
PUTLAND ROAD
Bray
co.Wicklow
Ireland

Posted by: Maria Consuelo Spera | December 14, 2005 02:08 AM

Rubbish? Waste?

HELP VENICE! VENICE (a town protected by UNESCO) IS DAIYNG BECAUSE OF THE WASTE DISPOSED IN THE HISTORICAL CENTRE BY RESTAURANTS, BARS AND HOTELS.

http://veneziablog.blog.kataweb.it/

Posted by: jacopo Nani | November 25, 2005 12:27 AM

hey Beppe, this is a really good idea. We need to sensitize who makes all this extra packaging by taxing them for the extra stuff. After all I am sure it's included in the cost of the wraps/boxes/plastic bags coming with the product. Same for food, rice for example comes in a plastic bag inside a paper box which gets put into a plastic bag to carry home. Everything gets too much packaging. In the US they have a stores selling most products bulk, which is like we used to do once, by weight. You bring your own containers they weigh it and you fill them up with pasta, rice, honey, nuts, detergents, juice etc, and once empty you bring them again to fill up. So, no waste. Of course this can only be done in large supermarket for they have to assure that products don't sit in the bin for ages, but why not start with detergent for example which everyone knows is all the same in the end?

Posted by: niki ghini | November 23, 2005 10:45 AM