“Polluters should pay for the damage they are causing to the environment,” the pressure group said.

However, Moviment Graffitti emphasised that the eco-taxes should never be seen in isolation from social justice. “In this regard, it is not socially just to increase taxation on salaried workers who are already over-burdened with tax, while tax-evaders keep doing as they please and land-speculators are not being penalised for destroying Malta’s environment and increasing the price of property,” it said.

Regarding the government’s specific proposals, Moviment Graffitti argued that it would be of greater benefit to introduce variable eco-tax rates. Products that cause less harm to the environment should not be taxed in an identical manner to products that cause greater harm to the environment.

“For example, certain white goods that cause less environmental harm than other white goods should not be burdened with the same level of taxation. This same line of reasoning should be applied to other types of products such as glass and plastic bottles, too,” the movement said.

Finally, Moviment Graffitti said it agreed with the suggestion that funds raised from eco-taxation should be used to help finance Malta’s waste management strategy