By Charles Ferraro
State Rep., R-117
Charles Ferraro
This legislative session, the majority party decided instead of banning plastic bags to tax them. I voted against the idea of taxing plastic bags because I believe we should have banned single-use plastic bags outright.
Now, since Aug. 1, stores have been mandated to start collecting the plastic bag “fee” tax.
How much will stores have to charge and will you have to pay to use a single-use plastic bag? The answer is 10 cents per single-use checkout bag.
Not only will small mom and pop stores have to collect this new fee and report it to the state, but restaurants will also have to collect and report it.
What makes this new law frustrating is that in 2021 single-use plastic checkout bags are scheduled to be banned entirely. As a state, we are making small and large businesses spend money to adopt a new law that in two years will be no more.
Instead of forcing this unnecessary fee on residents and businesses we should have banned single-use plastic bags throughout the state. Earlier in the year, I testified in favor of doing so. In my testimony, I said, “If we are going to get serious about the use of plastic bags, it is my opinion that we need to ban them. Placing a tax allows consumers to continue their use thereby sending the wrong message that, plastic bags are bad but if we can make money on them then they are okay enough for us to look the other way, not to mention that it would amount to just one more nuisance tax on our residents.”
In addition, I said, “Unfortunately, we collectively treat the oceans worse than most of us treat the inside of our cars. Approximately 40 percent of the world’s 7.6 billion people live within 62 miles (100 km) of an ocean coast. For the other 60 percent, some of whom may never have even seen an ocean, the seas still play a vital role in their lives. Using such alternative bags will help lower the amount of throw-away plastic bags, thus helping conservation efforts.”
Next session, I hope we can revisit this topic and put an end this unnecessary tax while banning single-use plastic bags. I encourage residents to start using reusable bags now.
For more information about the new plastic bag tax, visit portal.ct.gov/drs.
As always, feel free to contact me at Charles.Ferraro@housegop.ct.gov or call 860-240-8700.