Multiple countries are enacting legislation with a distinctly ‘green’ agenda. More recently, this year in April 2022 we oversaw the introduction of the plastic tax in the United Kingdom. Italy is enacting similar legislation with the introduction of the plastic tax on 1^st January 2023. In many respects analogous to its UK counterpart, it aims to incentivise the use of recycled plastic. The below provides a summary of the main changes:

• The tax applies to manufactured products for single use (MASCI)
• All plastic is included with some exceptions (including compostable plastics, recycled plastic and plastic used for medical ends)
• As in the UK, the tax is not set as a fixed percentage but will be charged at 450 Euros per tonne of plastic
• The tax must be reported quarterly.

Spain is also enacting similar legislation. Please refer to this month’s Spain compliance updates for further information.