Environmental agenda
To slow down the climate change is a very suitable objective for many public entities such as the Tax Administration.
The Tax Administration is committed to reducing paper and electric power consumption and travel and waste management costs. Furthermore, Tax Administration staff will be trained to be more conscious of ecological effects. As regards procurement and purchasing, close attention will be paid to the environmental impact of product lifecycles.
It is the objective of the Tax Administration to conserve nature in connection with all its daily operations and activity.
Online services offered to taxpayers help reduce CO2 emissions
As paper printing, paper filing and distribution now have a lesser role than previously, emissions of carbon dioxide are bound to go down. Up to the present time, it has been measured that the Tax Administration's activities causing the most serious ecological harm have been related to paper consumption, energy efficiency and road traffic emissions.
From the viewpoint of ecological accountability, the main concern at the Tax Administration is our indirect responsibility for our taxpayer-customers' business, especially if attention is drawn to certain sectors of business. Some aspects of corporate taxation may offer us opportunities or tools with which we can influence the taxpayers' business decisions to encourage more environment-friendly outcomes.
Further, the Tax Administration can advance ecological sustainability through paperless tax assessment and through the modern e-services that are available to taxpayer customers on the Web.
We are committed to:
Reduce the following resource uses 2017–2025:
- Electric power, reduction 7.5%
- Paper consumption, reduction 30%
- Travel, reduction 32%. The use of environment-friendly means of transportation will be promoted. Public transportation for commuter traffic is not only strongly recommended but also subsidized via issuing employer-provided bus tickets.
- Office waste, reduction 18%
Timeline of actions to conserve the environment:
| 2023 | We have developed our sustainability reporting and activities based on the State Treasury’s guidelines and good practices. We made sustainability an even more visible part of the Finnish Tax Administration’s strategic goals. |
|---|---|
| 2012 | The Tax Administration and other agencies of the central government arranged an afternoon event on 18 December 2012 called ”The administration's role in the fight against climate change — Valtionhallinnon rooli ilmastonmuutoksen torjunnassa”. The objective of the afternoon session was to strengthen the network of cooperation. The network will exchange information between its members, will work together, and ensure that the government's environmental responsibility is made more visible. |
| 2011 | Tax Administration, the Ministry of Finance and WWF arranged a media conference in June to promote the Tax Administration's corporate image as a responsible public entity prepare to take action in terms of protecting the environment. The newly created office bicycle scheme was presented, in which the employer lends free bicycles to tax officials working at the Haapaniemenkatu office who need to visit other units in Helsinki. |
| 2010 |
All offices of the Finnish Tax Administration join the Green Office project. The Finnish Tax Administration made a commitment to Baltic Sea Action Group. Director-General Laitinen participated in the Baltic Sea Action Summit in Helsinki with the objective to protect the Baltic Sea. The World Wildlife Fund performed an audit in November 2010 at tax offices and granted the rights to use the Green Office logo. |
| 2009 | Green Office logo and diploma are granted to Regional Tax Office of Northern Finland, Large Taxpayers’ Office, and the central office. |
| 2008 | WWF and the Finnish Tax Administration agree on the Green Office project. |