Court Ruling Could Raise License Fees For Brazilian Industry, Trade Group Says

摘要

Brazil's Supreme Court, the Supremo Tribunal Federal, recently revised part of a federal law that requires companies to pay fixed, minimum environmental impact fees for projects they need licensed (S.T.F., No. ADI/3378, 4/9/08). In an April 9 ruling, the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional part of a federal statue (No. 9985/2000) that required companies to pay an environmental impact fee of "at least 0.5 percent of their project's initial investment costs." The court excised this portion of the statute, saying it unfairly penalized companies that invest in environmentally friendly technologies.