A State Tax on Plastic Shopping Bags - Case Study Example

These may take much longer than expected to decompose, approximately a thousand years since they are non-biodegradable materials. They also release harmful elements when burned. The waste then spreads to the major water sources posing serious danger to the marine life. What questions did you have while working on this case? When working on this case I had the following questions as a guideline. 1. How is the reception by the families and residents on the introduction of the 5 cents tax? 2. Will the 5 cents tax result to any difference in the polythene bags usage? 3. How will the revenue accrued from the new tax be used? 4. What are the opinions of the environmentalists on the issue of the use of plastic bags in California State? 5. What are the available plastic wastes management options that can be employed?

What do you consider the most useful information provided with the case? Among the useful information provided in the case include the information that if the tax imposed is very little there will be no effect on the consumer behavior. The grocery checkouts also prefer plastic bags as compared to other bags. This is because they are cheaper and cost between $0.005 U.S. cents and $0.01 U.S. cents as compared with paper bags which cost between $0.05 and $0.15 U.S. cents. It is also documented that the number of plastic bags used in California stands at 500 billion.

Environmental advocates also support that reusable bags should be used in place of plastic bags. What assumptions did you have while working on this case? I assumed that the state shall have a properly established channel for the tax collection. It will also handle the issue of litter pollution. I also assumed that once the tax is introduced, all the consumers will reduce the amounts of plastic polythene bags and instead opt for the reusable bags or paper bags. The groceries will also start charging for the packaging.

Through these considerations I assumed that consumers will develop a habit of seeking an alternative method in carrying their shopping and reduce plastic bag usage. In the same manner, the disposal crisis that has been a major concern shall also be addressed. What tool(s) did you used in analyzing the information? I did a total analysis of the figures and data of the actual effects of the introduction of the five cent tax for every polythene bag usage on the producers. In addition to this, I compared the effect of this tax introduction with other mechanisms that can be employed in controlling polythene bag waste management in California State.

I also analyzed the fiscal amount of revenue that may be accrued from the imposition of the tax. What are your findings? The introduction of the tax will greatly contribute to sanity in the marine environment which accounts for forty three billion dollars in proceeds and over four hundred thousand employment opportunities yearly. Though there was a mixed reaction from the introduction of the 5 cents tax, the general public really does support it. They cite that there will be a relief of about two million dollars on the locals from paying garbage collection fee yearly.

The plastic manufacturers will however oppose it. They cite potential loss of income and fines in failure to comply with the tax policy. The findings indicate that the poor are concerned that from the imposed taxes will result into a higher cost for the polythene bags. This will have a greater impact on the low-income