Thread: Do you support a tax on plastic containers?

The Greens want to force the states to tax plastic containers expected to cost the average family $300 a year.

The Greens have introduced legislation in federal parliament in an effort to force the states into a national scheme.

The proposed increase is a 10c levy or deposit per container, which would be refunded if the consumer returned the empty bottle, but the industry claims transport and set-up costs would make the increase double that.

AFGC spokeswoman Jenny Pickles called on the government to abandon the plan, which she said was "another tax that will push up the cost of grocery bills for families".

"Cost-of-living pressures are already hurting families. The last thing they need is another tax on basic groceries.

"Just as they're dealing with hikes in electricity and gas bills, they'll also have to pay more for milk (and) soft drinks, and beer could go up by an extra $4 a slab."

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/art...test-news.html

User pays. What will we eve do without the old Chinese take away containers.

Originally Posted by slipperyfish

User pays. What will we eve do without the old Chinese take away containers.

Eat at the restaurant or bring your own container the way some people take bags to the grocery store. The real question is will the tax have a noticeable impact on littering because if it does not then it is useless.

I do not support a tax of ANY sort.

Our Federal Government has proven that they are poor stewards of our tax dollars, and they somehow manage to spend more than we can possibly give them, driving this nation deeper and deeper into debt.

What possible good will a new tax do?

An extra $4 a slab?! Mother (*)(*)(*)(*)ers!! I'm not necessarily opposed to new taxes, but this seems rather pointless and counter productive. I highly doubt it will make it into law.

On a side note, I'm sick of politicians going on about "working families." Seriously, I dont give a (*)(*)(*)(*) about working families. Yeah, yeah, they've got kids and blah blah, but lets face it, pollies dont care at all about these people - its just a phrase trying to draw out some primitive appeal to traditional values. It really irritates me.

Originally Posted by freddy62

Eat at the restaurant or bring your own container the way some people take bags to the grocery store. The real question is will the tax have a noticeable impact on littering because if it does not then it is useless.

Freddy, where do all those plastic container end?
The biggest number on the tip, the smaller number left and right of our roads.
I think, they should serve any kind of food on real plates(china),
not only for a healthier reason, but to minmize their impacts they are having on our landfills.
I tend to have system introduced, where we rely far more on refunding containers or bottles or cans, for the good of all.
Cheers

Originally Posted by MegadethFan

An extra $4 a slab?! Mother (*)(*)(*)(*)ers!! I'm not necessarily opposed to new taxes, but this seems rather pointless and counter productive. I highly doubt it will make it into law.

On a side note, I'm sick of politicians going on about "working families." Seriously, I dont give a (*)(*)(*)(*) about working families. Yeah, yeah, they've got kids and blah blah, but lets face it, pollies dont care at all about these people - its just a phrase trying to draw out some primitive appeal to traditional values. It really irritates me.

I think you may find that they do the working families dance for the media. What are the reporters going to do slam extras for little kids, I don't think so.

Basically they are trying to gain points by appealing to the medias quaint sense of morality.

Off side note and back to the problem at hand. Make them refundable and any extra revenue raised goes back into recycling industry. This is a more direct plan than the CT. More merit I believe. If you support the CT you should support this.

the cigarette tax is shrinking, now they need to make up for it, candy is next... all in the name of protecting our health and environment

Originally Posted by m2catter

Freddy, where do all those plastic container end?
The biggest number on the tip, the smaller number left and right of our roads.
I think, they should serve any kind of food on real plates(china),
not only for a healthier reason, but to minmize their impacts they are having on our landfills.
I tend to have system introduced, where we rely far more on refunding containers or bottles or cans, for the good of all.
Cheers

wouldn't buy back schemes do more for the environment than taxing people?

Would not a incentive program be more proactive than a penalty scheme?

That would be a major problem with governments these days. They consider the best result would be punishment, rather than incentives. Why? because penalties have a two fold reward for government. Not only does it appear they are doing something to rectify problems, it also builds financial support for their own resources. NSW should stand out as a major sign of this, as they allocated $600m (odd) in their budget from fines and penalties to their budget.

Where is the incentive? People consider, that penalising something will make them change their ways, is visionary. These people, really do have a short sighted view of what visionary really is. By promoting incentive programs for the public to remove the offending products from where they are, is more visionary than, penalising for the benefit of government and appearance.

With penalty programs, we see more welfare for people to adjust for the ability for people to remain at a level of wealth, to at least be able to provide for themselves. Thus continuing the cycle. But incentive schemes, people are not impacted directly, and they will have an incentive to create wealth for themselves, be it large or small.

Sure, it could be construed that people will change their habits due to a new tax, but what choice does somebody have at times. This type of policy usually does very little to change things, it simply passes another cost onto the community, generally.

It could also be construed that an incentive based system is more expensive for the government. Well let us face it, it is not their money, it is the peoples. Why, do governments feel that they can continue to stick their hands in the pockets of the people? They splash funds about like it is their own, to promote their own position and expect that Australians can just continue to fork it out, if they want more. Let us face the truth, $300m for advertising of government policy, to tell the people, how great they are doing. really people? How do you feel? You pay $300m, for somebody else to tell you how you should vote. How would you feel about paying all your neighbours bills and they come and tell the world how great, they are doing on you money?

Basically, it is simply another Green attempt at socialist government system, in attempts to make people dependant on welfare.

This is bordering on ridiculous.
This tax is nothing but a disguised "pick up your rubbish, children" direction from incompetent
politicians.
Can you imagine standing in line at your local bottlo or supermarket with a plastic bag full of
bottles, etc, waiting to collect your 10c per item...then where does the outlet store the bottles,etc...
in a dumpster out the back....what about vending machines....how do you get your 10c back...
wait until the operator refills the machine....race in and collect your 10c....come on....theyre
treating us like kids......

I have totally lost all respect for politicians...who I rate barely above used car salesmen and
journalists..................