Bag makers oppose D.C.'s proposed fee on shopping bags - Washington Business Journal:

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A day in advance of an April 1 D.C. Councikl hearing on a bill that wouldx exact a fee for everyg distributed plastic andpapedr bag, Progressive Bag Affiliates, a grou formed by the Arlington-basef , issued a press release Tuesdayt saying: “D.C. Community and Church Groupw Say 'NO!' to New Tax on Paper and Plastic Bags.” But at least one organization feels it beingt unfairly represented by the plastice group. The press release list s charitable and religious groups including the ashavinh “expressed their opposition to the proposed tax.
” However management of the food which distributes more than 200 million poundsd of food annually, say they are not taking a positiomn on the legislation. “The food bank reallyy doesn’t have a stand on said Shamia Holloway, spokeswoman for the Christine Nyirjesy Bragaleof , the firm that issueed the press release for , said more than a half dozejn food bank staffers had signed a lettere of opposition, even if management had not. “I’m workinvg more with ProgressiveBag Affiliates, I’ not working so much with the communitt groups,” she said.
“I’m working fast, thes e people aren’t my clients, I’m just tryinyg to help them out,” she added. , one of the largest charitabler contributors to the Food opposes a tax or feeon bags. Giantr spokesman and longtime food bank board member Barry Scher said he was not responsiblse forthe characterization. “I don’t know wherew it came from,” he The bill, proposed by Councilman Tommy Wells, D- Ward 6, would use money from the fees to purchased and distribute reusable bags for citizensw and a cleanup campaign for the Anacostia onethe country’s most polluted waterways.
Therew are advocates for the poor who oppose the tax on groundw that it willhit low-income District residents the George Franklin, director of Covenant Food Pantrh on South Capitol Street, said most food banksw in Ward 8, where Covenanyt operates, oppose a tax because of concerns that they will be forcedd to buy bags to distribute food to hungrg residents, which would take away from money for Covenant distributes food in more than 800 donatedr plastic bags per month, he said. “Mhy personal thoughts are yes we should clean up the but a tax is not the way to do Franklin said.
Franklin said if reusable bags were effectiveltydistributed beforehand, a futurew tax on paper and plastic bags might be more “Can this happen another time Probably,” he said.