On "May 3rd, 2011 The County Council approved the 5-cent tax to be charged at grocery stores, department stores, convenience stores and other retail establishments that kicks in January 1. The move was inspired in part by a similar measure in the District, but takes it further by spreading it to nearly all retail establishments, not just those that sell food." Kerry Roth [http://www.realtown.com/community/BlogTalk/view/ORKAEZA]
Officials try to hide behind the "going green" bandwagon. Is a tax thought to reduce plastic bag use really green? The facts are that it costs more to produce reusable bags and that they create more bulk trash when they’ve outlived their usefulness. The only “green” in this tax is Maryland officials once again putting their hands in our wallets.
Contact Montgomery County Council to let them know you too want their plastic bag tax repealed. If you don’t let them know how you feel, they will keep doing what they are doing.
Click here (or on the links section to the right) Contact the County Executive and the Council as a whole,
Click here: county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov
I have direct experience with the real effects of a bag tax since I work in DC. There are many reasons why it’s a bad idea. These are a few.
· Many vendors add the cost of providing a bag to their customers to their prices even if they don’t give them a bag. The customer is disadvantaged twice, once for not getting a bag and second because they were overcharged.
· The cost for administering this tax is not outweighed by the income. Within a few weeks of the DC tax, the majority of customers went without a buying bag. Now, only the tourists pay up. In the end, the "expected" revenue is not there and that happened very quickly.
· Other issues are arising. Folks using reusable bags do not wash them. In a short time, the bacterial and viral load can make even healthy people become ill. Health care costs are hundreds of times more than any monies recouped from the bag tax.
· Further, if someone immune-compromised dies as a result, then the officials could end up in a lawsuit, even a class-action lawsuit, costing taxpayers thousands, if not millions more than any income from the bag tax.
· Further, if someone immune-compromised dies as a result, then the officials could end up in a lawsuit, even a class-action lawsuit, costing taxpayers thousands, if not millions more than any income from the bag tax.
Officials try to hide behind the "going green" bandwagon. Is a tax thought to reduce plastic bag use really green? The facts are that it costs more to produce reusable bags and that they create more bulk trash when they’ve outlived their usefulness. The only “green” in this tax is Maryland officials once again putting their hands in our wallets.
Click here (or on the links section to the right) Contact the County Executive and the Council as a whole,
Click here: county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov
Why doesn't someone start a petition?
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. I don't currently have any information on how to create such a petition. Do you have any or know someone who does? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe bag tax also applied to paper bags, not just plastic.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard about paper bags being taxed. If so, all the more reason to have it repealed. The whole thing is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteCan't the person running this blog write the County Executive or County Council (through montgomerycountymd.gove) to try to find out the procedure allowing citizens to repeal a county law?
ReplyDeleteDear August 8th Anonymous Commenter:
ReplyDeleteThank you for asking about how to get the Montgomery County bag tax repealed. Also be aware that next year, the state of Maryland will enact one too.
The brief answer to your question is citizens cannot repeal state, county or local laws. Only elected officials can. Citizens can voice their concern to these public officials to convince them to undo it. That is one reason I created this blog.
This blog’s mission is to bring issues to the public’s attention so they can voice their concern to the appropriate government officials using the links I posted and the how to “Write Your Official” template (posted on a separate page). This template guides concerned citizens on how to get their point across politely and effectively. You can do that by e-mail, letter, or even by phone.
The only way we have to get this law repealed is to get lots of people to write Montgomery County Council members, and for the state law, the governor, state senators and state delegates of the Maryland General Assembly.
I work in DC and see that if enough constituents complain, they do respond. But they have to know it’s more than a few people.
I encourage you to join me and contact them yourself. Thank you again.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePlease read my Terms of Use before making your post.
ReplyDeleteFor those who want to get this law repealed, check out the petition at the bottom of the "Improve Maryland" Home Page.
ReplyDeleteTo make your voice heard, cut and paste this petition into your e-mail and send it to the Montgomery County official’s e-mail addresses listed at the top.
Feel free to send it along to your friends. It takes many complaints to get them to change their mind. We can do it if enough people take action!
What is the Web address of Improve Maryland home page?
ReplyDeleteCurrently all County tax payers are footing the bill for clean up of litter found on roads/streams in Montgomery County, MD (actually $3M in 2009). With the bag tax, only those who do not bring their own bags and pay the nickel for disposable, single-use bags that all too often end up as litter will pay for clean up. The revenues from the Bag Tax go into the Water Quality Protection Fund and are used for clean up. I'm not sure why that doesn't make sense!
ReplyDeleteBecause the Bag Tax is overbroad to accomplish the supposed task it was designed to do by (1) taxing all bags whether plastic, paper or otherwise; and (2) taxing not only grocery and convenience stores but also any other retail establishments including department and chain stores.
DeleteBag tax started today in Montgomery County. Nothing worse than the facade of being green and politically correct combined with the reality of enhanced environmental damage caused by reusable bag manufacture and transport. Add to that loss personal choice, unsanitary reused bags, a political money grab and a new mean-spirited self righteous beaureaucracy. The worst our local government has to offer on so many levels.
ReplyDeletePete, you described it all very well. I think the opportunity to get the bag tax repealed will either be the first couple weeks of January due to lots of complaints or in April, after all the Montgomery County stores tabulate how much business they lost business to Frederick and PG counties.
ReplyDeleteI think this can be repealed by placing it on the November ballot. I have heard several people call into talk shows saying they will most certainly shop anywhere but in MC because of the bag tax. How do you go about getting signatures to get it on the ballot? This is no different than the ambulance fees Ike and the county council wanted to impose. I heard at one store the store clerk told the customer even though he had his own plastic bag for his purchase that he could not use it. The law is to vague and who is to enforce it? I think all politicians need to take a common sense test before they run for office.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that I did not see this site sooner. Count me, my family and dogs in on a vote to Bag the Bag Tax. I have a Facebook page to support the effort. I also think that we should target retailers who do not help mitigate the impacts of the bag tax. This is a money maker for them. Consumers deserve better than to be nickel-and-dimed for bags when we spend hundreds at MC vendors. www.facebook.com/bagthebaglaw
ReplyDeleteSo glad to find this site! Thanks. Below is my letter to the editor that was published in the Washington Times on Thursday Jan. 4.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/4/county-bag-tax-about-money-not-litter/
County bag tax about money, not litter
Apparently, Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner and the rest of the Democrats on the council take us mere citizens for fools (“Montgomery County bag tax to take effect with new year,” Web, Dec. 27). They insist the new bag tax is not about raising money and that “its purpose is to cut down on littering.” In these tough economic times, it is hard to believe this new law is about anything other than raising money for the county coffers.
The $2.6 million generated in 16 months by the Washington, D.C. government with the city’s bag tax makes our county government salivate with greed. Montgomery County citizens are already models for enforced recycling. We recycle practically everything, including paper bags. If it were really about ecology, they would have made recycling plastic bags mandatory. Alas, no.
Instead of cutting back on nonessential county services to save money, our county has found another way to nickel-and-dime its taxpayers and shoppers. I, for one, refuse to pay the bag tax and urge others to do the same. Unfortunately, the other losers in this scheme are the retailers who can no longer advertise freely by giving away shopping bags. They will lose customers, who will shop in Tysons Corner or other neighboring communities because of the inconvenience. Council members, just be honest about your motives.
LAURA QUIGLEY
Gaithersburg
Why not just make bags that will decompose. We pay enough tax as it is!!!
ReplyDeleteI am very glad to see others oppose this stupid law. I absolutely refuse to pay the bag tax and will carry things out to my car like a balancing act if I forget to stock the car with my plastic bag cache.
ReplyDeleteNor will I buy those idiotic looking green bags and am holding out for plain white ones which I can then add black stitch on lettering of various and obscene phrases regarding the whole "greenhead" trendy and the stupidity of over reactiveness to a trend.
If possible, maybe we should take out business to Frederick and PG County where there is no bag tax.
ReplyDelete