Monday, April 15, 2013
“It’s a nuisance,” Jerry Bennett, store manager of Strosniders Hardware, said of the 5-cents per bag fee.
Montgomery County’s five-cent tax on disposable bags has been an almost unmitigated success. In its first year, it raked in more than $2 million in revenue, which is then earmarked for solid waste management, watershed restoration, litter pick-up and stormwater management. Yet, a little more than a year later, many in Silver Spring have misgivings about the tax. “It’s a nuisance,” Jerry Bennett, store manager of Strosniders Hardware, said. “It’s one more transaction that slows lines down, customers have to decide if they need a bag; it just takes more time.” The county is cognizant of the complaints. At a March 21 meeting, a Montgomery council committee discussed a possible exclusion of the tax at clothing stores and other non-grocery …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Montgomery County's controversial bag tax brought in more than double the anticipated revenue, The Washington Examiner reported.
Montgomery County's controversial 5-cent tax on shopping bags has brought in more than $2 million in its first year, The Washington Examiner reported. The $2.1 million total through November could be pushed to $2.2 million once December numbers come in, county spokesperson Patrick Lacefield told The Washington Examiner. Projections that the tax would generate about $1 million in the first year were based on Washington, DC's, first year (2011) with the tax, according to the report. DC's system has brought in less money than expected as people brought their own bags to stores. “This is not a revenue generator for us,” Leggett explained last year. “Montgomery County’s budget is about $4.6 billion, so a million is hardly a revenue source that …
Monday, March 5, 2012
The tax was projected to net about $1 million in the first year.
The bag tax could net up to $1.8 million in 2012, according to The Gazette.
Montgomery County’s hotly-contested bag tax netted $154,000 in its initial month, according to a report by The Gazette. Approximately 3.8 million bags were taxed, but County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) told The Gazette the county needs more data to understand whether the tax is meeting its goals. "We need more data beyond the first month, maybe a few months to a year," Leggett told The Gazette. "People are still getting adjusted to it." According to the report, January’s bag tax revenue sets the county on pace to receive $1.8 million in 2012 if the first month’s numbers are maintained. The bag tax was originally approved May 3, 2011, and the county expected to earn up to $1.5 million from the tax in the first year. This money will go to …
Friday, January 6, 2012
Some state and county officials say yes. What do you think of paying for grocery bags?
If you were thinking of hopping across the county line for groceries to avoid paying the Montgomery County bag tax, think again. Prince George’s and Howard counties are among the jurisdictions statewide that are exploring following in Montgomery County's footsteps and imposing a tax on plastic bags used at retail establishments. State officials also say they expect a movement to continue to make the bag tax mandatory statewide, following the momentum created by Montgomery County, the first jurisdiction in the state to implement a bag tax, which went into effect Jan. 1. “I think there will be a continued strong push for statewide action,” said Del. Alfred Carr, D-Montgomery. “I think there’s a growing awareness among the public and …
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Under a new Montgomery County law, paper or plastic bags from retailers cost customers five cents.
Dozens of shoppers popping into Safeway in Hillandale got more than the bargains they were looking for, finding themselves being greeted by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett handing out reusable grocery bags. Leggett visited the store Tuesday morning to give away hundreds of such bags to help customers mitigate a new cost for shoppers -- paying a nickel for each paper or plastic grocery bag under the county’s bag tax, which took effect Jan. 1. “We're making a very strong effort in the next few days to make sure we get the word out, to make sure people understand the law,” Leggett said. The county executive introduced the bill last spring and it passed the County Council in May 2011 with just one opposing vote. (Councilmember Nancy …
Thursday, November 17, 2011
In a month and a half, Montgomery County's tax on paper and plastic bags goes into effect.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, November 17, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Reusable grocery bags may be good for the environment, but they could be making you sick.
- BUSINESS
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Monday, October 24, 2011
By Richelle Gonzalez, by Capital News Service Reusable grocery bags may be good for the environment, but they could be making you sick. With Montgomery County set to impose a tax on disposable grocery bags that's designed to discourage their use, a new study has found that intestinal bacteria like E. coli flourish in unwashed reusable bags. The study, published in the latest issue of the International Association for Food Protection's Food Protection Trends magazine, tested 87 reusable bags obtained at random from shoppers in California and Arizona. Charles Gerba, a professor at the University of Arizona who conducted the study, found that 8 percent contained E. coli, among other harmful food-borne pathogens. Putting a reusable bag through…
Sunday, October 16, 2011
A 5-cent charge for paper and plastic bags kicks in on Jan. 1, 2012. Our poll shows that most voters were not in favor of the tax.
Poll Results, Oct. 20: Results are in from our unscientific poll. As of Wednesday, Oct. 19, about two-thirds of poll voters were not in favor of the tax. About one-fourth of poll voters thought the tax would help the environment and another eight percent thought something different. (See the photo for the results graph.) You can still continue to cast your votes and tell us in the comments how you feel about the tax. Poll, Oct. 16: Montgomery County will become the latest jurisdiction in the D.C. area to charge customers who do not bring their own bags to grocery stores and retailers. In an 8-1 vote, the County Council voted in the law last May as a measure to curb the use of plastic and paper bags. (At-large Councilmember Nancy Floreen…
Monday, October 10, 2011
Informational sessions will be held through January to explain the new county bag tax to residents and retailers.
To help residents and retailers understand the new carryout bag law, effective Jan. 1, 2012, Montgomery County has launched a new website with scheduled information sessions. Under Montgomery County's carryout bag law, effective Jan. 1, 2012, all retail establishments in the county that provide customers a paper or plastic bag for purchases are required to charge 5-cents per bag. Affected retail establishments include "all stores, permanent booths, service stations, grocery stores, department stores and other sellers," according to the Montgomery County website. Exemptions from the bag law include: • Bags used to hold prescription drugs • "Initial use" bags, such as garbage bags, dry cleaning bags or newspaper bags • Bags provided by an …
Zinzindor
2:26 pm on Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Hey, what a great tactic. I have my preconceived notions, and any other evidence is just “made-up crap.” Congratulations. You’d make a great politician: “I don’t care about the facts. I want this to work, so I believe it does work.” Or maybe I’m misjudging you. Maybe you’ve examined the consequences of the policy. Did the evidence from Seattle or Dublin or DC fail to convince you? Were … more ›