First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar told journalists how revenues from the recycling fee are spent. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that rumours of misappropriation of funds are completely unfounded.
"The money is spent through Zhasyl Damu JSC under the supervision of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. If these revenues, which we spend on environmental needs, were to fall away, they would have to be compensated from the budget. No one likes paying taxes, but it has to be done. It is very simple. To suggest that some oligarchic groups are profiting from this is, at the very least, incorrect," the Deputy Prime Minister responded.
Furthermore, Mr Sklyar has repeatedly stated that Zhasyl Damu JSC, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Ecology, uses the proceeds from the recycling fee to support environmental projects.
Specifically, this includes the construction of waste processing plants, the purchase of firefighting equipment for forestry institutions and environmental organisations, the modernisation of fixed assets of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and much more.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that funds from the recycling fee directed towards environmental projects are capable of having a significant impact on the ecological situation.
One gets the distinct impression that only Mr Sklyar and the Ministry of Industry are taking the flak for introducing the recycling fee. It is perhaps worth recalling that this initiative belongs to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, which has not been quick to defend it.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing debate about the necessity of the recycling fee, one would finally like to receive detailed information on spending from the structures directly overseeing this matter.
For its part, the editorial board of the FBRK is convinced that the funds obtained from the recycling fee could indeed find better use. For instance, the acute need to renew the agricultural machinery fleet could easily be met with funds from Zhasyl Damu JSC.
Likewise, preferential lending for agricultural machinery could be provided for small and medium-sized farmers.
Recall that it was previously reported that the petition "For the growth of people's incomes!" was supported by workers of industrial enterprises. This includes employees of the SemAZ plant, who insisted that the idea of abolishing the recycling fee is being lobbied in the interests of certain individuals, not the entire nation.