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Raise revenue with an immediate tax on the throw-away plastic shopping bag
• THANKS for the letter Mayor Livingstone (Take action now to cut out the wasteful use of plastic bags, November 29) but frankly after 10 years I am sick of rescuing barely used plastic bags out of bins. It is game over for “encouraging” and time for some clear and sensible leadership.
The mayor states that just London uses over 2 billion new plastic bags a year – 37 million a week and requests that we try to reuse one bag for every five we use.
The South Africa government started taxing plastic bags within three months of the subject being raised as an issue within parliament.
This has generated millions for their treasury as well as massively reducing the horror that they leave in their wake.
Marks and Spencer and Ikea are among the corporations bold enough to start charging for these unnecessary symbols of our throw-away society even though they will be certainly following customer demand. Our leaders have been deflecting the issue for years. Two billion bags taxed at 10p each equals an enormous potential revenue. Make the decision to tax plastic bag use with immediate effect.
C MACAULAY
address supplied, NW1
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