The caesars in the NYC council just passed a bill that would tax shoppers a nickel per plastic bag. The theory for the tax is it will lead to a drop in plastic bag usage, which are evil beyond comprehension.
Officials from Washington, D.C., testified at a New York City Council hearing that their 5-cent bag fee, enacted in 2009, has led to a 60 percent drop in bag use.
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg first proposed a plastic bag charge in 2008, but the idea failed to attract support from the City Council. The current bill was introduced in 2014 and has been amended to slash the per-bag fee from 10 cents to 5.
“Everyone knows that plastic bags are a problem,” said Councilman Brad Lander, a Brooklyn Democrat and bill sponsor. “They blow everywhere. They never biodegrade. They’re made of petroleum. And we don’t need them.”
This is a scheme to levy a tax, nothing more, nothing less. After all, the caesars have big plans with our money.
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They already have this in several west coast cities, including (I believe) SF, Seattle, and others, as well as some other suburbs. Winds up just being a pain in the ass when you make an impromptu trip to the grocery store, as well as an excuse for stores and others to sell “reusable” shopping bags for $10 that they make for 20 cents.
Every store I have been in has reusable bags for 99 cents. Maybe you shop in a store that caters only to the gullible. I’m sure you wouldn’t just make sh1t up.
A beach town nearby banned the plastic grocery bags several years ago. Grocery stores there give you paper bags for free, or give 5 cents credit each for your own bags.
Sea turtle killed by careless disposal of Fly’s plastic grocery bag
I reuse those cheap plastic bags hundreds of times. I just keep about 5 of them stuffed in my underwear (plenty of room in there…wife’s problem, not yours) and can pull them out at a moments notice. Once in a while when I have to go and there’s no bathroom around, they really do come in handy.
@metalleg – Now that deserves a +1.5
De BlaBlaBlasio is definitely mentally ill.
Another regressive tax (fee) on the poor.
Litter comes from many sources, wrappers, bottles, free newspapers.
Nothing any worse over these bags than all the cigarette butts and candy wrappers in the NYC gutters.
The poor can reuse the “disposable” bags if they can’t afford $2 ones