Plastax: Should Australia have a tax on plastic bags? YES!

Essay by liquid_frogA, March 2003

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Australia should have a tax on plastic bags. Australians use 6 billion plastic bags every year. They kill more than 100 000 birds, whales, seals and turtles worldwide every year. (Plastic bag tax push, The Herald Sun) By applying the tax it would cut down the numbers of plastic bags used therefore cutting down on the numbers of plastic bags in the waterways. The tax was applied in Ireland and there was a 95% drop in the number of plastic bags used. (Bag habits are hard to break, The Age)

In March of this year Ireland introduced a levy on plastic bags equivalent to 25 Australian cents. It is known as the "plastax." Irish shoppers plastic bag consumption has been reduced by 90% since then. (Bag tax begs wider debate, Townsville Bulletin) In a survey 79% of Australians said that they would support a similar tax in Australia if it could bring around the same results.

(Bag tax begs wider debate, Townsville Bulletin)

According to a national survey, nearly 80% of Australians support a 25¢ levy on plastic bags. (Buyers back levy on plastic bags, Townsville Bulletin) The survey also found that 95% of Australians thought supermarkets should introduce biodegradable plastic bags. (Buyers back levy on plastic bags, Townsville Bulletin) Biodegradable plastic bags have cobalt in them, which breaks down the plastic with 1-3 years. There are also cornstarch bags, which biodegrade in 4-6 weeks. Senator Bob Brown says that if there were a tax on plastic bags in Australia the number of used ones would drop to 600 million from 6 billion. (Pay for bags, say Greens, The Herald Sun)

The result of a tax on plastic bag would very beneficial to the environment. Thousands of sea birds, sea mammals...