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Views on Trade Effluent Surcharge Review invited
The Government is seeking views from relevant trades and industries, which are or may be affected by the Trade Effluent Surcharge (TES), on the outcome of the consultancy review of the TES Scheme which commenced in October 1996.
A letter, containing an executive summary of the consultant's Final Report, was issued by the Planning, Environment and Lands Branch today (Tuesday) to organisations representing these trades and industries to invite their views.
A Government spokesman said when introducing the sewage charging scheme in April 1995, the Government gave an undertaking that the TES scheme would be reviewed after implementation and in the light of experience of the initial scheme.
In May 1996, the Government announced its plan to review the TES scheme and sent letters to relevant trade associations to invite comments on the review
exercise.
"Subsequently, meetings on the objectives and scope of the review were also held by the Administration with representatives of trades," the spokesman said.
The consultant, commissioned by the Government, conducted a consultation by holding meetings with trade associations affected by the TES scheme and concerned political parties and staging a public forum. The views expressed at these meetings and the forum have been considered in the review.
The review makes a number of suggestions and options for possible changes. Among other things, it suggests that the current system based on generic COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) values should be retained at least for the short term, with a move towards individual measurements and a link with licensed discharge values under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance.
The use of an additional measurement parameter, Suspended Solid, should also be considered.
In the meantime, the "appeal" system should be simplified and turned into a "reassessment" exercise between the Government and the trader. The validity of the reassessment result should be extended.