Estratègies per al desenvolupament sostenible - Generalitat de ...

Charges were therefore low. Later schemes have tried to put more emphasis onthe incentive effect.Enforcing payment and dealing with evasion without increasing unduly theadministrative costs involved, especially where there is poor regulatory enforcement.Mexico’s wastewater charge has suffered from poor enforcement.Overcoming resistance from certain groups who are likely to lose as a result of theintroduction of the market mechanism. Fossil fuel energy taxes have been resistedby energy-intensive industry sectors with the result that they have often beenwatered down by the inclusion of exemptions and reductionsDealing with regressive impacts on the poor who are least capable of adapting tothe proposed changes. Taxes on fossil fuels, for example, may have adverseimpacts on the poor unless assistance can be given to these groups to adoptenergy saving measures; for example, upgrading cooking and heating equipmentto new, more efficient means.Ensuring that the revenue raised is used appropriately, and to provide safeguardsagainst misappropriation. This will usually involve setting up institutional structures.Mainstreaming sustainable development into investment and financial decisionmaking.176The success and credibility of a strategy for sustainable development depends onthe extent to which key stakeholders act in accordance with it. For example, astrategy that emphasizes the promotion of renewable energy or energy efficiency isundermined if investments are made by private sector or public sector organizationsin fossil fuel power plants. This means that key financial decisions have to be coherentwith the NSSD, and that at the same time, the integration of sustainable developmentobjectives into companies’ decision making should be one of the key objectives ofthe NSSD. To achieve this, a number of different actors must be involved, notably:government departments, the private sector and financial institutions both in-countryand overseas. Given the importance of foreign investment in developing countries,the situation is complicated by the need to address foreign-owned companies andthe financial institutions that support them. Most corporate decisions on foreign directinvestment (FDI) involve the participation of a financial institution – either directlythrough the provision of a loan to cover establishment costs, or indirectly through,for example, the provision of risk insurance. Local financial institutions, which in