Jacksonville.com reports that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection posted a draft proposal on its web site last week for a ban on all disposable plastic bags after July 1, 2015, with a phased in series of bag taxes between now and then. However, it pulled the draft off the site within 48 hours, saying that it was just a “working document,” not a fleshed out proposal.
Rick McAllister, president of the Florida Retail Federation, tells the site that he was surprised by the draft proposal, since his organization has been working with the department to come up with ways to cut down on litter without an outright ban. He says that there are concerns among retailers that “if shoppers have to bring their own reusable cloth bags to carry anything they buy ... that’s likely to cut down on some spur-of-the-moment buying sprees. With a recession going on, ‘we don’t need any new taxes; we don’t need any restrictions on consumer spending’.”
Rick McAllister, president of the Florida Retail Federation, tells the site that he was surprised by the draft proposal, since his organization has been working with the department to come up with ways to cut down on litter without an outright ban. He says that there are concerns among retailers that “if shoppers have to bring their own reusable cloth bags to carry anything they buy ... that’s likely to cut down on some spur-of-the-moment buying sprees. With a recession going on, ‘we don’t need any new taxes; we don’t need any restrictions on consumer spending’.”
- KC's View:
