Scottish bag tax scuppered

A major victory has been claimed by the UK Carrier Bag Consortium after news that Mike Pringle MSP has withdrawn his plastics bag tax bill just six days ahead of the planned debate in the Scottish Parliament.

“This is excellent news which will have global impacts,” says CBC chairman Barry Turner. “It proves that there has never been any viable justification for taxing plastics bags in the name of the environment - and that cynical political moves, that suggest our industry is not environmentally responsible, will be vigorously exposed.”

CBC, the lobbying group of the Packaging and Industrial Films Association, has fought for two years to overturn attempts to introduce a 10 pence tax on every plastics carrier bag used by retail customers in Scotland. Earlier it spent two years fighting similar moves to gain support for a plastics bag tax in Westminster. The consortium has argued consistently against erroneous claims that such bags are a major contributor to litter and domestic waste, as well as fighting claims that a similar tax in Eire had been an environmental success.

“We are actively supporting a voluntary code of reduction, re-use and recycling being developed by government for retailers,” Barry Turner states. “We also would encourage government at both central and local levels to accelerate the implementation of best practice measures at kerbside collection points to encourage consumers to recycle – even after products have been re-used a number of times. But it has been made quite clear that if a voluntary retailer code is not agreed, the Government may reconsider legislation which would have no environmental merit and would fly in the face of common sense.”

David Tyson, chief executive of PIFA, adds: “In spite of the fact that our industry has most to lose by participating in voluntary means of reduction, we support such an option as the alternative is having our industry decimated by ill conceived legislation for no good environmental reason. So we will continue to encourage good environmental practice such as ‘reduce, re-use and recycle’, provided that government and retailers use the code as an opportunity to educate consumers on the real facts about plastics bags – including the wider benefits of plastic in society”

PIFA is also supporting an extensive Life Cycle Analysis Study commissioned by the Environment Agency which will compare environmental impacts of various types of plastics and paper carrier bags. It is due to be published next spring. A special CBC industry meeting has been called for November 7, at PIFA’s Nottingham offices, to bring members up to date on the issues they continue to face.

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