After that, average taxpayers will be on the hook to pay for toxic clean up. Congress created the Superfund program in 1980 to clean up toxic contamination around the country. However, since many polluters have gone bankrupt or are impossible to find, the Superfund tax was instituted to pick up the slack. To make sure that average taxpayers do not pay for this cleanup, the Superfund tax was imposed on big and dirty industries - the ones that pose the greatest pollution risk. The Superfund tax is actually a combination of three taxes targeted at industries that pose the greatest risk of spilling toxic materials, such as oil and chemical companies.
Superfund tax includes a tax on petroleum, a tax on chemicals and an income tax on big businesses.
The Clinton Administration estimates that the trust fund will be depleted before the end of 2001. Congress is considering proposals to reform Superfund. The Republican-supported proposals would limit the cleanup and financial liability for polluters, and leave the Superfund tax turned off. Several alternative proposals would restore Superfund taxes, but these are not likely to receive enough support to pass. H.R. 1300 Representative Sherwood Boehlert, chairman of the House Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.