Lebanon's Environment Minister reveals quarry sector's dues to treasury amount $ 2.4 billion

Lebanon's Caretaker Minister of Environment, Nasser Yassin, published a report addressing the "minimum dues of the quarry, crusher, and sand excavation sector to the treasury, amounting to $2.4 billion." 

The Environment Minister highlighted that this study is the first of its kind in terms of comprehensiveness and accurate analysis, as it calculates fees, taxes, the cost of environmental degradation, and the cost of environmental rehabilitation through a detailed analysis of 1,235 sites across all Lebanese territories based on a survey conducted by the Lebanese Army.

The dues amount to a minimum of $2.4 billion for the quantities extracted between 2007 and 2018, including approximately one billion dollars in fees and taxes.  

"These figures do not encompass the cost of pain, suffering, and encroachments, which are left to the judiciary to determine and for affected individuals to claim compensation," he stated.

"We will proceed with issuing orders to collect the amounts following Decree 6569 (2020) (specifying the implementation details of Article 61 of the 2019 Budget Law) in US dollars, to be deposited in a special account opened in the name of the Lebanese state at the Central Bank of Lebanon," he added. 

The proceeds will be allocated to environmental projects following the applicable laws and regulations. "We will emphasize this in the upcoming budget law," the Minister stated. 

"We are currently working with the Ministry of Justice to study the appropriate legal measures to pursue the case, as it is a crucial step in collecting treasury funds and putting an end to past practices in this sector, thereby reforming it for the benefit of the environment, society, the economy, and public financial management alike," he added. 

This study, conducted by the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program, is not only a report on the treasury dues of the quarry sector, but it also represents a reforming step towards collecting public funds wasted due to corruption and illegitimate enrichment at the expense of the people and the environment.