Portland mayor bags the plastic bag tax (with economy does not think it is time for a new tax)

[The Straight Story]

Portland mayor bags the plastic bag tax

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland Mayor Sam Adams says he has bagged an idea to tax paper and plastic bags used by shoppers. He says with the economy the way it is, this is not the time to add a new tax.

Adams wanted to charge 5 to 20 cents per plastic or paper bag to encourage shoppers to use reusable cloth sacks.

Environmentalists say thin plastic bags used in grocery and other stores survive for centuries in landfills. If they end up in the ocean, they break down into tiny fragments that kill fish. Worldwide, people use an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags each year.

Environmentalists had sought the tax or an outright ban on the bags. San Francisco has banned the plastic bags, as has China.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/398711_bagtax05.html

[The Straight Story]

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