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. Councik hearing on a bill that would exact a fee for every distributee plastic andpaper bag, Progressive Bag Affiliates, a groul formed by the Arlington-based , issued a press releaser Tuesday saying: “D.C. Community and Churchy Groups Say 'NO!' to New Tax on Paperd and Plastic Bags.” But at least one organizatioj feels it being unfairly represented by the plastics The press release lists charitablee and religious groups including the ashaving “expressef their opposition to the proposedc tax.
” However management of the food bank, whicjh distributes more than 200 million pounds of food say they are not taking a position on the “The food bank really doesn’t have a stancd on it,” said Shamia spokeswoman for the group. Christine Nyirjesy Bragale of , the firm that issued the press releasefor , said more than a half dozej food bank staffers had signed a letter of opposition, even if managemen had not. “I’m working more with Progressiv eBag Affiliates, I’m not workingf so much with the community she said.
“I’m working fast, thesr people aren’t my clients, I’m just tryinv to help them out,” she , one of the largest charitable contributor to the Food opposes a tax or fee on Giant spokesman and longtime food bank boardx member Barry Scher said he was not responsiblde forthe characterization. “I don’t know wherd it came from,” he said. The bill, proposedf by Councilman Tommy Wells, D- Ward 6, would use money from the fees to purchasw and distribute reusable bags for citizens and a cleanup campaighn for theAnacostia River, one the country’z most polluted waterways.
There are advocates for the poor who oppos the tax on grounds that it willhit low-incomd District residents the hardest. George Franklin, directo of Covenant Food Pantry on South Capitol said most food banks inWard 8, where Covenant operates, oppose a tax because of concerns that they will be forcedf to buy bags to distribute food to hungry which would take away from money for Covenant distributes food in more than 800 donated plastic bags per month, he said. “My personapl thoughts are yes we shoulrd clean upthe Anacostia, but a tax is not the way to do Franklin said.
Franklin said if reusablde bags were effectively distributed a future tax on paper and plastiv bags might bemore palatable. “Can this happen another time Probably,” he said.