Minister proposes environmental tax<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister for Tourism, Post and
\nTelecommunications Joop Ave proposed yesterday the idea of
\nimposing an environmental tax, beginning with the tourist
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
The minister, however, did not elaborate on how the proposed
\ntax, long overdue according to environmental activists, would be
\nimplemented.<\/p>\n
The tax is expected to enhance the government's income from
\ntaxes that could be used to rectify damage caused by industry
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the opening day of a three-day symposium on
\nIndonesian Tourism and Marine Ecology, Joop said that the tourist
\nindustry is partly responsible for the increasing environmental
\ndamage.<\/p>\n
\"It's deplorable how the tourist industry has turned parasite
\nto sources that are at the heart of its survival,\" Joop told
\nreporters after delivering his address.<\/p>\n
Joop tossed out the idea of promoting tourism by hosting an
\ninternational summit on marine tourism by the year 2000.<\/p>\n
State Minister for the Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, who
\nofficiated the symposium, lamented the public's ignorance of the
\nwealth contained in Indonesia's waters.<\/p>\n
\"As the largest archipelagic country in the world, Indonesia's
\nmarine potential has not been fully utilized by its owners but
\nexploited by others who have left only 7 percent of our coral
\nreefs in good condition,\" Sarwono said.<\/p>\n
In raising public awareness of Indonesia's marine world,
\nSarwono said, agencies need to focus on the sustainable
\ndevelopment principles that emphasize the protection of marine
\nbiodiversity.<\/p>\n
Sarwono suggested three basic principles should be adopted to
\npromote ecotourism: drafting a zoning utilization where the
\nnumber of visitors to a site is limited, rotating the opening of
\nsites to allow them to recover and earmarking highly priced
\ntourist sites for international tourists.<\/p>\n
Also speaking at the seminar was Emil Salim, a former minister
\nfor the environment who said that Indonesia has many regulations
\nthat were introduced to prevent any of the aforementioned
\nproblems occurring.<\/p>\n
\"We are known as a soft country that doesn't enforce laws.<\/p>\n
\"We have much homework to do, such as actually implementing
\nregulations so that we are not seen as only being good at
\ntalking,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Wuryastuti Sunario, Managing Director of the Indonesian
\nTourism Promotion Board, said the symposium would discuss
\neconomic tasks facing the Indonesian tourist industry and the
\npreservation of Indonesia's maritime heritage.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully this symposium will bring about concrete action for
\nmanaging sustainable marine tourism with environmental
\nconservation as well as business prospect,\" she said. (14)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/minister-proposes-environmental-tax-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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