To: Members of the Joint
Committee on Revenues
March 12, 2008
Re: S. 2521, tax on plastic bags
Citizens for Limited Taxation is opposed to S. 2521 for
these reasons:
1. With a 5th highest per capita tax burden,
Massachusetts should not be passing new taxes. Food
costs are up and consumers don’t need to pay more, either as
a direct tax per bag or the pass-through from an excise on
the grocery stores.
2. The sponsors of this bill are tagging along behind
a movement that doesn’t need government intervention.
Whole Foods is already requiring its customers to use cloth
bags. Other large grocery stores are selling
inexpensive sacks and have plastic bag recycling boxes at
the door. Environmental groups, consumer groups,
Scouts, etc. can make this a project and get the job done.
3. This bill excludes paper bags. Aside from
lacking concern about trees, its sponsors have apparently
never lived downwind or downstream from a paper mill.
CLT does support H. 4469, the initiative petition of Carla
Howell and others to repeal the income tax.