The government should set up a 'green fund' by imposing 5% forest development tax on sale of forest products and 3% forest conservation tax on sale of petroleum products and coal mining, the 12th Five-Year Plan working group under Planning Commission on natural resources has recommended. Another sub group working on environment and forests has backed a similar approach, recommending an economy-wide green tax regime to blend in with the Goods and Services Tax that the government is pushing.

Shimla: With no takers for the collection of the green tax in the first attempt, the local municipal corporation (MC) will invite fresh bids. The MC intends to impose the green tax on all vehicles entering the “Queen of Hills”. Surprisingly not even a single company sent in its bid for which March 30 was the last date. It is on the lines of Manali that the local MC intends to impose the green tax so that revenue can be generated, especially in view of its poor financial health.

Solan: The Chail panchayat has imposed green tax on vehicles entering this town from other states since April 1. Since this was for the first time that such a tax was imposed in Chail, the panchayat has kept nominal fee of Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 30 and Rs 100, respectively, for two-wheelers, vehicles having sitting capacity of five, vehicles having sitting capacity between 5 to 10 and buses having a sitting capacity of 30 to 50.

If you are planning to drive to Shimla after April 1, be prepared to shell out more, as the Shimla Municipal Corporation proposes to levy green fee on vehicles not bearing Himachal Pradesh registration numbers. While four-wheelers will be charged Rs 200 per entry, two-wheelers will be made to pay Rs 100 per entry.

“Municipal Corporation will levy green fee (not tax) on vehicles as part of resource-generation initiative on the lines of Manali town. The funds generated through this measure will be ploughed back to create new amenities for tourists,” said Mayor Madhu Sood.

Leh, Dec 22 : The Chief Executive Councilor, LAHDC, Leh Rigzin Spalbar today convened a meeting of Council to discuss various important issues concerning further promotion of tourism industry. Addressing the meeting, the Chief Executive Councilor, said that this year a record number of tourists visited Leh and if we include the number of labourers who came to Leh during the same period, more than 2 lakh people arrived Leh which ultimately put immense pressure on our resources and adversely affected the fragile environment of Ladakh.

The cash-strapped Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) will once again urge the government to allow it to impose green tax on all outside vehicles entering the “Queen of Hills” so that it can generate resources to improve its financial health.

Reacting to voices being raised against the

Shimla: Determined to impose green tax on vehicles bearing registration numbers of other states, Shimla Municipal Corporation has decided to again approach the BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh government to seek its approval so that it could raise much-needed funds.

Sukumar Mukhopadhyay / April 26, 2010, 0:41 IST

P>The environmentalists are doing genuinely good work to promote more favourable situation for the earth to survive the rampaging attack on ecology. But in the process one has to look for the correct method. The environmentalists advocate eco-tax and eco-subsidy to cope with pollution. I am writing this treatise to examine this proposition.

SHWETA KAMAT

The government might now collect the