ACS Pledges to Lobby on Plastic Bag Tax
16 Jul 2007
A proposal by London councils to charge a levy for plastic bags in the capital has been met with caution by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), the campaigning voice of the local shop.
ACS is concerned about the operational implications of the tax for retailers and is keen to engage with those proposing the Bill. ACS believes it would be difficult to implement the tax without increasing the bureaucratic burden on small retailers, who will bear the brunt of the administration.
ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “This is a policy to be debated and determined on environmental grounds. However, our concern is about the operational implications of imposing such a tax on small retailers. The administrative responsibilities of collecting, processing and distributing the levy would be a heavy burden for many small businesses.
“The industry is already working together voluntarily to help cut carrier bag usage and ACS was one of 22 major retail organisations to sign up to an agreement to reduce the environmental impact of carrier bags by 25% by 2008.
“The Government needs to think carefully about the implications that this policy would have on small retailers, and we will make sure that their voice is heard in this debate.”
Contact:
Shane Brennan Public Affairs and Communications Manager
01252 515001 / 07921 372978
Rachel Lawson Communications Co-ordinator
01252 515001
Notes to Editors:
1. ACS is the convenience store champion, helping local shops thrive through lobbying, insight, information and commercial services.
ACS is concerned about the operational implications of the tax for retailers and is keen to engage with those proposing the Bill. ACS believes it would be difficult to implement the tax without increasing the bureaucratic burden on small retailers, who will bear the brunt of the administration.
ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “This is a policy to be debated and determined on environmental grounds. However, our concern is about the operational implications of imposing such a tax on small retailers. The administrative responsibilities of collecting, processing and distributing the levy would be a heavy burden for many small businesses.
“The industry is already working together voluntarily to help cut carrier bag usage and ACS was one of 22 major retail organisations to sign up to an agreement to reduce the environmental impact of carrier bags by 25% by 2008.
“The Government needs to think carefully about the implications that this policy would have on small retailers, and we will make sure that their voice is heard in this debate.”
Contact:
Shane Brennan Public Affairs and Communications Manager
01252 515001 / 07921 372978
Rachel Lawson Communications Co-ordinator
01252 515001
Notes to Editors:
1. ACS is the convenience store champion, helping local shops thrive through lobbying, insight, information and commercial services.