Activists call for environment fund

Activists call for environment fund

JAKARTA (JP): Environmental activists proposed the
establishment of a transparent and accountable environment fund
at a discussion yesterday.

They proposed that a regular environment "contribution" be
collected from private companies exploiting natural resources,
and that the money be clearly earmarked for environmental
conservation.

"I'm all for the idea of an environmental fund," said Dewi
Motik, the deputy chairman for environmental affairs at the
Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

She was speaking at the discussion organized by the leading
environmental non-governmental organization Indonesian Forum for
Environment (Walhi).

"For the sake of our own long-term profit, we should be
conserving our environment. Even Kadin agrees that natural
resources-based business must be obliged to pay a high
environment contribution," Dewi said.

A professor of forestry at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture,
Dudung Darusman, said that a "progressive taxation" should be
enforced on logging companies as compensation for the depletion
of the country's biodoversity and natural resources.

Walhi executive director Emmy Hafild proposed that the
contribution be based on the "polluters pay" principle because
the environmental degradation caused by many companies had
affected many people.

Citing a recent study, Emmy said that air pollution was the
second most common cause of infant mortality in Jakarta after
diarrhea. She claimed that on a national level it accounted for
up to six percent of all infant deaths.

Emmy conceded that yesterday's calls for a transparent and
publicly accountable environmental fund were triggered by the
"abuse" of the current reforestation fund.

The reforestation fund is collected by the government from
timber companies and is meant to be used for the regeneration and
conservation of forests. It was enacted under a presidential
decree.

However the fund has been "borrowed" for purposes other than
reforestation.

Commenting on Emmy's allegation, a spokesman for the Ministry
of Finance's taxation directorate-general, Djonifar, said that
either the Supreme Audit Body, the development finance
comptroller, or the House of Representatives should address these
problems.

The discussion participants agreed with legislator Laksmiari
Priyonggo of the Indonesian Democratic Party who said that the
form of the proposed environment contribution should not be a
tax.

And Djonifar agreed, saying that the nature of taxes was that
they were not necessarily used for the cause they were intended
for. (aan)