The federal government May 31 added acetal to the list of plastics and feedstocks that are included in the Superfund excise tax.
The Internal Revenue Service announcement in the federal register said acetal was being added in response to a December 2022 petition from Celanese Ltd., which exports the plastic.
Superfund excise taxes were reinstated on some plastics and feedstocks as part of President Joe Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, after they had previously expired in 1995. The tax is a levy designated for the cleanup of hazardous material sites through the Superfund program.
The Biden administration estimated the taxes would raise $14.4 billion through 2031 on chemicals found in hazardous waste sites.
The May 31 announcement said the law allows materials to be added to the Superfund list if any chemical component that's covered by the excise taxes makes up at least 20 percent of the material.
It said that methane, a covered chemical, makes up 50.8 percent by weight of the materials used to make acetal.
The IRS said acetal would be taxed at $3.65 per ton, or 0.16 cents per pound, effective Oct. 1, and it said eligible refund claims for acetal are effective from July 1, 2022. The agency said it received no comments on Celanese's 2022 petition.