15 Nov 2019: Sally Wyatt, a Principal at Sapere, presented yesterday at the Pacific Ocean Finance Conference in Fiji. Ocean finance is generating, investing, aligning and accounting for private investments in ocean health.

The conference brought together global conservation investment experts with Pacific voices.  The conference participants exchanged experiences, new ideas, and research in all aspects of ocean finance and governance, and to explore practical challenges and solutions.

Sally was commissioned by the Forum Fisheries Agency (World Bank) and the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner. Sally’s paper, “The Role of Taxes and Subsidies in Pacific Ocean Health”, looked at how taxes can be used to further ocean health goals.  Sally explored the policy, administrative and political aspects involved in establishing an environmental tax. Her findings show that while Pacific Governments are too constrained to buy large-scale change and have little influence over what other governments do to control environmental threats, the fiscal system does have a role to play in the ocean environment.

According to Sally, “the best opportunities for Pacific governments lie in keeping the tax system transparent, easy to navigate and fair for investors.  They can also eliminate harmful subsidies, where they exist, use tourist levies, tonnage fees and resource-based taxation.  Pollution and waste levies are also clear opportunities for the fiscal system”.  Sally is working with Sapere colleagues to establish the most respected environment finance advisory practice in Australasia and the Pacific.

You can read more about Sally’s research, and the Program, here: https://www.pacificoceanfinance.org/