Nov 7, 2008 11:51 am US/Eastern
Bag Tax: Mayor Wants Shoppers To Pay For Plastic
Mandate Would Bring In Estimated $16M In Revenue, While Saving The Environment
Reporting
Jay Dow
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
-
-
Mayor Michael Bloomberg sat down for an exclusive interview with CBS 2 HD's Marcia Kramer and explained why the city has to raise taxes and eliminate rebates. He said the city's financial problems are worse than you think.
CBS
With the Big Apple strapped for cash and Mayor Michael Bloomberg looking for ways to penny-pinch – including issuing a mandate that would have grocery stores charges shoppers a fee for using plastic bags – New Yorkers are reacting to the idea that would help save the environment and the city's multi-billion dollar budget deficit.
In a city where the cost of living just keeps going up, the city is considering a plan to nickel and dime shoppers who want plastic bags, charging them five cents for each one. The upside? The plan could generate an estimated $16 million in new revenues for the city while keeping the environmental hazards out of city trees, gutters, and waterways.
CBS 2 found an interesting balance of opinions at the checkout counter.
"I actually like having plastic shopping bags. But I think theoretically it's a good idea," says Manhattan resident Vicki Berlin. "I think it's a sign of the times both environmentally and economically."
Irene Herpaul of Queens has other ideas though. "I don't really agree with it," she says. "People spend so much money in the store that to pay for the bags is a different thing.
City officials still have to work out a few important details, including exactly which plastic bags would be taxed and how that tax would be collected.
"All the people who work in our city want to get paid, and if you want them providing services, somebody's got to pay for it," Bloomberg told CBS 2's Marcia Kramer.
Bloomberg isn't stopping with plastic bags. The city has also tweaked the penalties for blocking the box. The good news: clogging an intersection is no longer a two-point moving violation that can only be issued by a police officer. Now, any traffic agent can write you up for a standard ticket, and the fine is going up from $90 to $115.
"The fines are already ridiculous," says Manhattan resident Jhinson Montalez. "It's one day of my job already. I think he's gotta do something else because the traffic is not our fault."
Maybe not, but when it comes to bringing the city out of the red, it's clear New Yorkers are going to help pay the tab.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
World's Greatest Fighter Jets
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
