ACS to lobby Government over plastic bag tax

The ACS said it was concerned about the implications of the tax for retailers as it would increase the bureaucratic burden on their business.

The trade body will argue that the plastic bag tax, proposed by London councils, should be debated on environmental grounds as ACS has already signed up to an agreement to reduce the impact of carrier bags by 25% by 2008.

James Lowman, ACS chief executive, said: “The administrative responsibilities of collecting, processing and distributing the levy would be a heavy burden for many small businesses.

“The Government needs to think carefully about the implications that this policy would have on small retailers and we will make sure their voice is heard in the debate.”