SINCE SAN FRANCISCO first moved in 2007 to staunch the deluge of non-biodegradable shopping bags that harm wildlife and litter streets, waterways and sewers, other jurisdictions have followed suit, including the District, three years ago, and Montgomery County, last year. As the use of 5-cent bag taxes and similar measures have spread, Americans have learned two lessons: The measures are effective at cutting litter and popularizing the reuse of bags; and industry arguments against such measures are nonsense.
That has raised hopes in Maryland of enacting the country’s first statewide bag tax this year. (Hawaii has a de facto ban, since each of its four counties prohibits the use of carryout plastic bags at checkout counters.) Predictably, plastic-bag manufacturers are again hoping to kill or subvert legislation that would benefit the environment.
The evidence from the District and Montgomery is overwhelming. In the District, plastic bag use has dropped by at least half since the 5-cent tax went into effect in 2010. In Montgomery, the drop was significant — about a third — though not as sharp as in the District; however, the county collected more than $2 million from the tax last year, which will help it pay to remove litter that includes plastic bags.
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10 comments:
I'll accept that it is a good idea - can they show us how the revenue is guaranteed to be used for cleaning up the previous bags?
Don't think so....meaning this is just another revenue stream....
The first bag should be used to put over Mulkulski's head.
woo hoo more taxes!
isnt owemally great!
i really hope he runs for and gets elected to the presidency
Once you realize that Maryland Legislators go into session with a goal to create more revenue, you'll understand better what to expect from them. That basically is a possible benefit that could come from a new tax. Remember when putting SLOTS at racetracks was going to save Horse Racing in Maryland? Why aren't any of the new Casinos being built at racetracks? They forgot.
I'm lucky I can do my shopping in D.E. and that state my money.
This is just about more taxes nothing more.
Plastic bags are by far the best solution of how to get items home from the store.
They use very little resources to produce.
They do not carry disease like reusing bags do. Reusing spreads sickness and kills people. They have to be washed and replaced using far more resources than the plastic bags they replaced.
This has all been proven in areas that have the ban in place. Very bad idea.
another fine idea from the buffoons in Maryland ..what legislation brillance!! ...raise taxes/fees.. shoot self in foot.... continue to raise taxes ...conclusion Maryland is crippled!!..whats next a tax if i dont use charmin??
...and the tax has also led to a dramatic increase in the theft of reusable bags.
People out here cant make ends meet and lawmakers are working on BS laws.
What make this legislation even more amusing is the fact that the plastic bags that this law will tax were brought into use to replace the paper bags the tree huggers were claiming were depleting the rain forests.
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