TCO Development reports that the draft of the Swedish Budget for 2017 proposes to introduce a chemical tax on electronics to try to reduce hazardous flame retardants. TCO is concerned that the proposal only targets substances with proven negative effects and says that further testing of substitutes is required. The organisation accuses the Swedish government of being more interested in revenue than the environment.
Chemical taxes are already in place elsewhere, for example California and Washington in the US, but this would be a first in the EU.
