The BASIC group, comprising India, China, Brazil and South Africa, recently said in a statement that “unilateral measures and discriminatory practices, such as carbon border taxes, that could result in market distortion and aggravate the trust deficit amongst Parties, must be avoided”.

WHAT IS CARBON BORDER ADJUSTMENT TAX?

  • A carbon border adjustment tax is a duty on imports based on the amount of carbon emissions resulting from the production of the product in question. As a price on carbon, it discourages emissions.
  • The carbon border tax involves imposing an import duty on a product manufactured in a country with more lax climate rules than the one buying it.
EU’s STAND BASIC GROUP’s STAND
· The EU has proposed a policy — The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — to tax products such as cement and steel, that are extremely carbon intensive, wef 2026.
· EU claimed that the tax will benefit the environment and provide a level playing field to companies, those opposing it call the tax unfair and protectionist.
· They say it puts the burden of climate compliance on developing countries, when historically, they have done much less to pollute the environment and yet are often more vulnerable to effects of climate change.