Disposable paper and plastic bags; local taxation. (HB981)
Introduced By
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✗ |
Passed Committee |
☐ |
Passed House |
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Passed Senate |
☐ |
Signed by Governor |
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Became Law |
Description
Local disposable paper and plastic bag tax. Authorizes any locality to impose a five-cent per bag tax on disposable paper bags or disposable plastic bags provided to customers by certain retailers, with certain bags being exempt from the tax. Revenues from the local tax would be collected by the Tax Commissioner and distributed monthly to the county or city imposing the tax to be used by such locality for pollution and litter mitigation. The bill requires each county or city adopting an ordinance to impose the tax to provide a certified copy of the ordinance to the Tax Commissioner at least six months prior to the date the tax is to become effective. The bill also allows every retailer that collects the tax to retain one cent of the five-cent tax. Read the Bill »
Outcome
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 01/09/2018 | Committee |
| 01/09/2018 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/18 18103714D |
| 01/09/2018 | Referred to Committee on Finance |
| 01/19/2018 | Impact statement from TAX (HB981) |
| 01/23/2018 | Assigned Finance sub: Subcommittee #1 |
| 01/24/2018 | Subcommittee recommends passing by indefinitely (6-Y 4-N) |
| 02/13/2018 | Left in Finance |
Comments
The Friends of Accotink Creek encourage all Virginia legislators to support the work of their many constituents who participate in stream cleanups by supporting HB981 (and SB139 and SB193) to control the sale of disposable plastic bags. We strongly endorse and support efforts like this to reduce trash in local watersheds.
Each year Friends of Accotink Creek and other civic groups mobilize volunteers who clean tons of plastic bags and containers, as well as other trash and debris, from streams that feed into the Chesapeake Bay. Across the United States, millions of tons of plastic waste is washed from streets into waterways, fouling waters for both marine life and human usage.
Reducing consumer consumption of plastic bags, by means of bans, restrictions, and/or taxes, is an effective way to reduce the amount of plastic trash that enters our watersheds, and flows downstream to the Potomac River, and the Chesapeake Bay. Besides being an eyesore and a burden to remove, this noxious litter refuses to go away, only breaking down into toxic particles that will be with us forever.
I am providing public comment in support of HB981 to consider a tax on plastic bags provided to customers for retailers, especially those within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, and revenues from such tax to be used specific to local stormwater management or environmental programs or the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund. Plastic grocery bags are a major source of pollution by rainfall/runoff and by wind/air to natural channels and manmade stormwater systems across the Commonwealth.