The People’s Majlis has on Monday accepted the Bill on the Amendment to the Export Import Act and forwarded it for committee review.
While 62 MPs voted to accept the bill, it is to be reviewed by the committee of the whole house on Tuesday.
The government endorsed bill was submitted by Gan constituency MP, Mohamed Wisam, with the purpose of cutting import duty for certain household appliances and materials required for the development of various industries. While it also seeks to halt the import of single-use plastic into Maldives from January 2021 onwards, the bill proposes to increase import duties for non-biodegradable items as well.
Majlis passed a resolution to ban single-use plastics in Maldives from 2025 in mid-2019, after students from various schools collectively submitted a proposal highlighting the dangers of single-use plastic.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih launched a campaign to eliminate single-use plastic, in December 2018.