The Bag Tax - Good Idea?
Written by Bill on April 21st, 2008 – 10:50 am -
As Earth Day (04/22) approaches, the city of Seattle is making the news with their announcement this month of a PLAN to begin taxing paper and plastic bags at grocery and convenience stores. The plan calls for a $.20 cent tax on each bag that you use. The idea being that with the money raised Seattle would be able to provide everyone in the city with a reusable grocery bag and perhaps other recycling programs.
I’m all for making the environment a better place for everyone but really $.20 for each bag you need? Surely there must be a better plan that could be put into place. I know when I head to the grocery store for my weeks worth of shopping the 1 bag that Seattle is going to give me isn’t going to even come close to what I need to get my groceries out of the store. And the reusable bags… our local grocery store charges somewhere in the neighborhood of $.99 for each of them. For me not an issue - but what about those (think fixed income, and poor) that don’t have an extra buck laying around… not to mention an extra $10 or $15. Every penny counts when you live paycheck to paycheck.
Why can’t we go down the road of personal choice instead of taxation? Have the stores give me a rebate each time I bring my bags in for re-use. $.20 seems rather extreme but even a few cents each time provides me with the incentive to bring them from home and to remember to bring them into the store when I get there. Another tax is not the solution. My current grocery store is doing this now and while I don’t know the success or how the program is funded I certainly made the choice to purchase the reusable bags.
Another question I have about this tax… who administers it? Are they going to create a whole new department that has its set of overhead? Perhaps that is why it needs to be $.20, they need to pay for the administration and enforcement of the program. Not to mention the burden on the merchants for reporting, and payment.
Final question… you ever drive down the highway and notice how many pop cans, and beer bottles there are tossed out the window? If you want to make a serious dent in recycling why doesn’t the state require (as other states do) a deposit on every bottle and can sold? If you have to pay an extra $.60 for a six pack of beer you are much more likely to save the cans so that you can get your $.60 back… and if you don’t someone will.
"Green" is a great idea… but I think this tax goes too far too early in the "go green" mentality that is starting to make inroads not only with individuals but with corporate America. Taxing people turns them off. I don’t see this tax as doing anything different.
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Tags: green, recycling, Shopping, taxes
Posted in Personal, Ponder |
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