Fines are being significantly increased...

The amount of fines for littering tobacco products and household waste in the environment is being raised. Amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses regarding this issue have already passed the first reading in the Milli Majlis (National Assembly).

Currently, the fine for disposing of household waste in places other than designated containers is 50 manats. According to the amendment, individuals will be fined 300 manats, officials 1,000 manats, and legal entities 4,000 manats for the same offense.

The fine for disposing of tobacco waste into the environment is also being raised from 50 manats to 300 manats.

For repeated violations of the same rule within one year, a fine of 700 manats will be imposed, or, depending on the circumstances of the case and the offender's identity, community service of 60 to 100 hours may be applied.

Additionally, fines for violations of subway usage rules are being raised from 15 manats to 200 manats.

In recent years, the multiple increases in fines in the country have been a topic of discussion.

In European countries, for example, in Austria, a person can be fined 90-100 euros for littering a piece of paper on the street. In the UK, a fine of 80 pounds is imposed for such an act. In Germany, fines related to waste start from 300 euros. Across the ocean, in the United States (USA), a fine of 500 dollars or a one-month imprisonment can be imposed for this. However, in these countries, the average monthly income of individuals is several thousand euros.

Rovshan Abbasov, a member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and an ecologist, told Turan that fines are a deterrent against administrative offenses: "Those who decide to increase these fines aim to prevent such administrative violations, meaning to reduce the amount of waste disposed of in the environment."

According to Abbasov, this could have a positive outcome: "But only if public awareness is raised among people. Because, even when fines exist, the enforcement mechanism is often weak. For example, a 50-manat fine for littering from a car was already in place, but it did not yield positive results because the enforcement mechanism was lacking. However, the enforcement mechanism for speeding fines works well. A similar system should be implemented here as well."

He also noted that if such a system is established, it will yield positive results at a later stage: "In such cases, fines play a role in the first stage, and in the next stage, people consciously understand that these actions are wrong and adapt to the new circumstances."

The ecologist emphasized that this is how it works in European countries: "No one engages in such behavior there, and there is zero tolerance for such things. In Germany, there are very serious penalties for this. In Japan, a criminal case could even be opened due to the waste problem."

Many deputies share a similar opinion. One of them, Ceyhun Mammadov, told the agency that there are several reasons for increasing these fines: "The main goal and purpose of determining these fines is to deter people from such actions. People should strive to avoid such behaviors. Experience shows that when fines are low, people tend to act more carelessly."

However, some experts argue that when the minimum wage is 345 manats, fines of 300 manats or higher are unreasonable. They believe that people should be able to afford to pay the fines.

Economist Rashad Hasanov told Radio Azadliq that several factors should be considered when it comes to fines: "Fines are based on factors either within or beyond a person's control, and different approaches should be applied accordingly. For example, littering is a deliberate and gross behavior within a person's control, and the strictest rules can be applied."

The expert also believes that fines should not necessarily be measured by people's income: "High fines can sometimes be effective. But the issue in Azerbaijan is that fines are often only applied to ordinary or defenseless citizens. For some officials, fines are not enforced. In other words, officials can violate the law, but the system of impunity prevails."

According to the economist, the state itself has many shortcomings: "There are significant shortcomings in the activities of the relevant institutions regarding the random disposal of waste."