Maputo — The Cooking Oil Industry Association (AIOPA) considers the recent tax on plastic containers introduced by the Mozambican government a threat, since the sector is still trying to establish itself.

The tax was introduced at the beginning of this year focused on taxing plastic recipients used in the industrialization of cooking oil.

"The tax is heavy for this sector, since the government introduced it taking into account the bottle of cooking oil. It negatively affects us as the margin of difference between the national and imported oil is 10 to 15 meticais (15 to 24 US cents) for a bottle of 300 millilitres', said AIOPA representative, João Matlombe, cited by the Beira daily "Diário de Moçambique.'

"The cooking oil currently pays this tax for each bottle', he stressed.

The cooking oil producers, according to Matlombe, acknowledge the polluter-pays principle but they contest the tax "whereas the mineral water producers, who also use plastic bottles, are free from it. But we know that the bottles of water pollute the consumer market, promoting garbage in the main urban centres.'

According to AIOPA, the government attitude contradicts the national industrialization strategy.

"We have been trying to talk to the government to abolish the tax but we do not hear good news. The government says that we must pay the tax in question and insist that the companies must resort to glass bottles in order to avoid the tax payment', Matlombe said.