Final plea to axe bags 'tax' plan

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Shop bosses have renewed calls for a proposed compulsory charge on plastic carrier bags in Wales to be dropped.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said ministers' idea of a charge of 5p to 15p on single-use bags would be "disproportionate and draconian".

Monday is the last day of the assembly government's consultation on the plan.

An assembly government spokesman said it believed there was "strong support" among the Welsh public to reduce the use of single-use carrier bags.

An estimated 480m carrier bags are used in Wales each year and it takes between 500 and 1,000 years for them to degrade.

Environment Minister Jane Davidson has said the assembly government was "taking the lead" on the issue.

She has said a petition - stemming from a BBC Wales initiative inviting people to submit ideas which they wanted to be brought in as law - was "strong evidence" the public wanted a ban on plastic bags.

She has denied the proposed charge was a "tax".

It is the assembly government's firm belief that Wales can achieve this change quicker and more effectively through a charge being made on single-use carrier bags Welsh Assembly Government spokesman

A spokesman for the assembly government said there were already a number of initiatives to reduce bags in towns and villages across Wales.

"The tide is turning and initiatives led by local communities, like those in Llandysilio [Powys] and Llangollen [Denbighshire] to become plastic bag-free, illustrate an increasing appetite within communities for more environmentally-friendly options," he said.

"Changing the way consumers behave takes time, but it is the assembly government's firm belief that Wales can achieve this change quicker and more effectively through a charge being made on single-use carrier bags at the point of sale."

The BRC, a trade association for a range of retailers, said the charge would risk alienating customers and would hit low-income families hardest.

It said it shared the assembly government's aim of reducing bag use, but the best of way of achieving lasting change was to educate customers rather than penalise them.

'Bag tax'

The consortium cited figures it released in July indicating bag usage had been halved in the three years from May 2006 to May 2009.

It said: "By imposing a "tax" on bags, the [Welsh Assembly Government] would punish Welsh customers for achieving the 49% reduction in bag usage.

BRC business environment director, Tom Ironside, said ministers were "clearly determined to introduce a bag tax and only consulting on how it should be done".

He said: "The consultation should consider the most effective and proportionate way to reduce bag use.

"Introducing a charge is not the best way to achieve lasting change in customer behaviour.

"Welsh customers and retailers have already shown they are more than capable of delivering spectacular results in reducing bag usage without the need for legislation."