A joint tenders committee of the office of the Accountant General and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, headed up by Deputy Accountant General and Director of the Collections Administration C.P.A. Yariv Nehama, will issue a tender today for services to include collection and handling of debts to the Ministry of Environmental Protection totaling NIS 60m.

The debts arise from environment-related fines and fees imposed by the ministry. The tender will allow law offices and collection agencies specializing in the field to compete for provision of the services, subject to the Tax Law Collections.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection operates a network of supervisors and decontamination trustees who are authorized to levy fines on environmental criminals. Thousands of fines are issued every year, estimated to total millions of shekels. The enforcement system within the Ministry of Environmental Protection, through the ministry's accountant and deputy director, is responsible for the collection of fines. But over the years extensive debts totaling NIS 60m have accumulated. These will now be transferred for collection by the winner of the tender.

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This tender, along with tender which was recently issued by the Ministry of Health, is the first issued for collection of ministerial debts since the collections administration in the office of the Accountant General was established a few months ago. The administration is to manage and direct collection activities of government ministries.

The collection administration in the Accountant General's office was established as part of the reform in the management of state assets and protection of its rights. In the framework of the administration's activities, all debts to government offices were mapped out.