Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed six-cent plastic bag tax is a policy that is long overdue. The tax is an effort to reduce the city’s plastic bag consumption, as the do not decompose and therefore, sit in land fills forever, further contributing to the colossal amount of waste New Yorkers generate each day. With this tax, New York may finally join the ranks of European nations, such as Ireland which implemented a 33-cent bag tax six years ago and saw a resulting 94% decrease in plastic bag use.
The six-cent tax, however, has been met with criticism from some New Yorkers who claim it places an unfair burden on New York’s lower class residents who are already feeling the sting of the country’s economic crisis. The goal of the tax, however, is not to earn revenue for the city, but rather, to get New Yorkers to switch to eco-friendly reusable cloth and recycled-plastic bags. Although, the annual revenue from the tax is estimated at $16 Million.
The reason for the amount of six cents, however, remains unclear. Will six cents prove to be enough of a burden that people will actually make the switch? Or will it be a policy just be a minor annoyance that New Yorkers will absorb and continue on their wasteful ways? This question is one of many that the City Council will have to deal with when they vote on the Mayor’s proposal.
According to the New York Times, the Council members heard speakers testify that six cents may not be enough to make the difference. What is the magic number? Upwards of around 25 cents according to some experts. While six cents may prove to be an annoyance, 25 cents may be outright infuriating to many poor New Yorkers, who, according to the New York Times, have already aired opposition to the proposed bill.
Perhaps the City should accompany the bill with an initiative to provide reusable bags to New York’s poorer residents at reduced rates, or for free for that matter. A lot of neighborhood bodegas and small green-grocers do not even sell reusable bags. Maybe the city should work with local merchants and neighborhood organizations to see to it that residents are provided with the reusable bags needed to make this tax accomplish its true objective: the elimination of plastic bag use.
“In Mayor’s Plan, the Plastic Bag Will Carry a Fee” – New York Times
