The Government’s decision to introduce a plastic bag tax makes no sense and will leave shoppers and retailers confused by the complex new laws, retail industry representatives today warned.
The British Retail Consortium said the Government ignored advice from its members to make the charge apply to plastic and paper bags, rather than just single-use plastic ones.
It pointed out that a recent report by the Environment Audit Committee found a paper bag would need to be reused three times to have less environmental impact than a plastic bag used once.
Small retailers are exempt from imposing the charge, which will be rolled out across England next year, but the BRC said hundreds of its SME members want to be removed from the exemption to avoid confusion.
The organisation said: “Exemptions for small retailers and excluding paper and biodegradable bags will make it confusing for consumers as they will be asked to pay for a bag in one shop but not in the shop next door.”
Wales and Northern Ireland already have 5p charges on all single-use bags in all retailers, with Scotland introducing the charge in October.
