MADRID, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish government will introduce a tax on single-use plastics which will generate an income of 724 million euros (808 million U.S. dollars), the country's Minister for Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera confirmed on Tuesday.
Ribera announced the move at a press conference following Tuesday's weekly cabinet meeting, explaining that under a new law on waste and soil contamination, single-use plastics would be subject to an indirect tax of 0.45 euros per kilogram.
"It is a tax that will fall on the manufacture, import or inter-community (EU) acquisition of non-reusable plastic containers that will be used in the Spanish market," she said.
The minister said the tax "responds to the recommendations made by the European Commission, which have highlighted in numerous reports that Spain has a margin to improve its 'green' fiscal measures."
Under the new law, restaurants would be obliged to offer customers the option of tap water in a glass container with their meals, and from July 3, 2021, it will also be forbidden to introduce items such as cotton buds which have a plastic stem, plastic cutlery, plates and drinking straws into the Spanish market.
The law aims to reduce the use of such items by 50 percent by 2026 and by 70 percent by 2030, while promoting their replacement by reusable or recyclable non-plastic alternatives. (1 euro = 1.12 U.S. dollar)
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