When applying environmental policies they need to make sense and be realistic to British Columbians.
First they got you with the plastic bag tax before banning plastic bags. Then they realized the plastic bag tax revenue evaporated.
Part of the “CleanBC” plan, the BC NDP government says goal is to keep “harmful” waste out of the landfills.
Originally the bag tax was only on plastic bags. Now with the full ban on plastic bags, the BC NDP will bring that tax forward to bags in general.
Starting July 15, 2024 the BC NDP began to impose a paper bag tax to keep non existent plastic shopping bags out of landfills.
Not only did the BC NDP remove the option from businesses for customers to use a plastic bag completely by banning plastic bag. The BC NDP government began to force businesses to charge customers a bag tax even if the business doesn’t want to charge their customers for bags.
British Columbians who didn’t think they would be shopping that day or simply forgot their reusable bag will be punished with a mandatory bag tax at the check out.
David Eby’s BC NDP government is cooking up another tax grab to attack everyday British Columbians wallets at the check outs to fund their big spending and expensive government.
Thanks to the BC NDP government you will be forced to pay a minimum $0.25 tax for a bag made with recycled paper or a minimum $2 for a reusable bag.
Shopping bags sold for a charge
6 (1) A business operator may sell a shopping bag if
(a) the shopping bag is a recycled paper bag or reusable bag, and
(b) the customer purchasing the shopping bag pays a charge for the bag, as follows:
(i) at least $0.25 for each recycled paper bag;
(ii) at least $2.00 for each reusable bag.
While the regulations set a floor for the bag tax there’s no maximum a business can charge for a bag.
Only in a limited number of scenarios is a business allowed waive the BC government mandated bag tax.
The bag tax exemption applies to:
- used paper bags made up of 40% recycled paper or a used reusable bag.
- a drug specified in Schedule I, IA, II or III of the Drug Schedules Regulation; (ii) a device as defined in the Pharmaceutical Services Act;
- When purchasing from food services like restaurants and getting food deliveries
Food delivery services are also mandated to take on extra administrative tasks to track “food service accessory” and bag usage.
Requirement to keep records – single-use food service accessories
15 (1) A food delivery platform operator must keep, and make available for inspection
under subsection (2), a record of the percentage of delivery orders received by the food delivery platform operator in each of the previous 2 calendar years in relation to which a food service accessory was requested or accepted.
(2) An officer may inspect a record kept under subsection (1).
BC Rise stands with the people of British Columbian and calls on the David Eby BC NDP government to repeal it’s unnecessary regulations that only impose extra costs on consumers..