Virginia County to Implement Tax on Single-Use Plastic Bags

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Prince William County, Virginia has decided to continue discussions on implementing five-cent tax on single-use plastic bags. The Virginia General Assembly had earlier approved the legislation, allowing local governments to impose tax on plastic bags.

The County meeting held last week had announced that the sustainability plan is estimated to cost around $450,000. At the same time, it does not expect huge revenue from the proposal. The revenues are likely to range between $50,000 and $55,000 per year, during the initial years, with chances of growth in revenue over the coming years. The upcoming County meetings will take up the discussions, it noted.

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The state legislation allows any county or city to duly adopt an ordinance imposing a tax of five cents per plastic bag, which should be collected by retailers. The revenue accruing to the county or city from the tax must be appropriated for the purposes of environmental cleanup, providing education programs designed to reduce environmental waste, mitigating pollution and litter, or providing reusable bags to recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) benefits.

Reportedly, a few other Virginia counties too are exploring plans to collect tax on plastic bags.