Vancouver (October 17, 2006) – Residents of B.C. are overwhelming opposed to a tax on plastic bags, with 69 per cent of the population saying they would NOT support such a move.

The public opinion survey, conducted by Decima Research*, also found that 8 in 10 residents of the province want to recycle their plastic bags through in-store take-back programs. “What the public is saying is ‘we don’t want to be taxed, we want to use sensible solutions to preventing litter and diverting bags from landfill’,” said Craig Foster of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) which commissioned the research.

“This tax idea is a bust, and similar proposals are being rejected in other jurisdictions as well,” added Foster. Just recently, Scotland’s powerful, all-party Environment and Rural Development Committee voted overwhelming against a bag tax after hearing evidence from the Irish government about the many problems that have occurred as a result of such a levy.

In addition to releasing the survey results, CPIA today also announced that it has joined forces with Retail BC and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation to oppose the tax. The proposed tax is being spearheaded by several Councillors in the province’s lower mainland. They want the Union of B.C. Municipalities – at its meeting in October - to pass a motion calling on the province to impose a 25- cent levy on each and every plastic shopping bag.

“This is yet another situation which assumes that retail businesses are able to shoulder increased and new taxes,” said Mark Startup, President and CEO of Retail BC. “This proposed tax is completely misguided, and would only end up hurting consumers, retailers, and the environment. Plastic shopping bags help ensure food safety and human health, they are lightweight and economical, and they can be recycled into new bags and other products.”

Sara MacIntyre of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation noted that plastic shopping bags account for less than one half of one per cent of all litter and less than one per cent of residential solid waste by weight. “This is not an environmental issue; it’s a tax grab by municipalities. Consumers and taxpayers alike want solutions that are sustainable and make sense. The plastic bag tax is wrongheaded.”

The municipal politicians who support the tax say they want to emulate Ireland where a similar tax on plastic shopping bags was introduced in March 2002. But the Irish experience has not been successful. Consumers have responded to the tax by switching to other types of bags not subject to the tax, particularly heavier plastic ‘kitchen catcher’ bags, to carry their groceries. Sales of these heavier plastic bags have gone up 400 per cent and the overall amount of plastic resin used in Ireland has actually increased 10 per cent.

In addition, the tax in Ireland has led to increased shoplifting as it is now more difficult for retailers to identify who has and hasn’t paid for their goods. Perhaps most disturbing, the Irish bag tax has taken a toll on the most vulnerable members of society. Many seniors and disabled people rely on plastic shopping bags because the product is lightweight, easy to carry, inexpensive and waterproof. These groups, along with the poor, are least able to afford such a tax.

“We already have solutions in the province that work. Take-back programs are highly effective and something the public supports,” noted Foster. B.C. leads the country in plastic bag recovery. Over the past 15 years, bag manufacturers and retailers have put in place a system of in-store take back programs which now recover about 30 per cent of all plastic shopping bags in the province.

Retail BC represents over 3,000 owned and managed retail businesses in the province. The retail community is made up of progressive retailers who take part in workshops, networking opportunities, business services, lobbying activities and who look to the association for information and support.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is Canada’s leading taxpayer advocacy organization. From coast to coast they work to lower taxes, eliminate government waste and hold politicians accountable to YOU the taxpayer.

CPIA is an industry organization designed to deliver core services and value to members of the Canadian plastics community. They are a hands-on, proactive association that reaches right across the country.

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For more information, contact:

Mark Startup

President and CEO

604-730-5252

* The national Decima Poll was conducted last October with breakouts from each province. The margin of error nationally on the poll was +/- 2.2 percent; for B.C., 6.2 percent.