A year ago, the Swedish Government decided to investigate the possibility of introducing a chemicals tax on clothing and shoes containing hazardous substances. Now, a proposal has been handed over to the Government – and it points in the right direction.
It suggests that all clothing items and shoes become taxable, with possible tax reductions if the taxpayer can prove that products do not contain certain hazardous chemicals. It proposes a default taxation of 4 EUR per kilogram of the products weight, and tax reductions up to 95% if the product does not contain any harmful chemicals.
The tax proposal focuses on chemicals that fulfil the EU REACH criteria for being Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) as well as similar chemicals that can be deemed to fulfil the same criteria. Special attention is given to weather-resistant products because they may contain PFAS. The taxpayer would be required to pay an additional 2 EUR per kilogram in tax for these products.