The “Forum Workshop of Exchange and Perspectives in Ecological Tax in El Salvador and Guatemala” on 24-25 August 2016 in Guatemala City. It was organized by the GIZ Programs; German Cooperation; Rural Development and Adaptation to Climate Change ADAPTATE, the PROFI Fiscal Project of Guatemala and the Support Project for Tax Policy of El Salvador, with the participation of CIAT, ECLAC, COSEFIN, the Council of Finance Ministers, SICA and representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Environment of the two countries,

Tax policy, through the establishment of corrective pollution taxes can be a means to generate tax revenue and introduce incentives to change behavior. Given this context, GIZ has developed in 2015 a document presenting an analysis of environmental taxes in Central America and the Dominican Republic with the corresponding statistics collection, with special emphasis on Guatemala and El Salvador, since they are the countries with lowest collection.

The initiative began with the aim of generating inputs for the technical and political discussion among key stakeholders in the governments of both countries in the areas of taxation and environment, GIZ and other donors to identify fiscal and economic instruments as possible alternatives on how to inhibit adverse behaviors and generate income.

The Forum was an initiative to encourage an inter-sectoral dialogue between Public Finance and Environment.

The CIAT Executive Secretary, Mr. Marcio F. Verdi, along with the representative of the German Embassy in Guatemala, inaugurated the forum and facilitated a strategic dialogue with political deciders regarding this topic. In addition, Mr. André Dumoulin of CIAT actively participated with a presentation on the Paris COP21 climate Change Treaty.

All participants expressed the need of a follow up with another meeting on this issue.

Mr. Márcio F. Verdi, CIAT Executive Secretary addressing the event participants

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