Is the ‘real’ impact of the 5p charge about to hit the rest of the UK?
Scotland implemented their ‘bag charge’ on Oct 20th 2014, just as Wales did on Oct 1st 2011 and Ireland way back in 2002. All have absorbed the initial wave of the new tax which is specifically applied to the use of plastic bags. With the charge also applying to all online purchases, what lies ahead may well hit us a lot harder now since the charge arrived in England from October last year.
Consumers across the rest of the UK will face a marked hike in experiencing the 5p charge (its ‘current’ government minimum price) since it has become law in England. One fact to support this is the report released by the Scottish government which indicates they expect around £8m per year in bag charges in the first year, while the same estimates conducted within the English government expect to see £110m per year being generated by the charge.
Based on business stats, Companies house data and business post volume, the number of online retail distribution stores & online traders which serve the British public’s ‘online’ requirements firmly reside in England. Marks & Spencers, who were one of the first to commit to the charge and pledge to environmental causes have their sole distribution centre located in Castle Donington near Derby which sends out over £800m of online purchases each year to the British public.
With the charge only applicable to companies with employees of 250+, the traditional corner shop, butcher, newsagents and village store etc are all still exempt in England if they wish to not charge, however with growing government pressure, it will soon only be a matter of time before the charge is airborne across the entire UK regardless of where you shop. And that is very good news for the environment.
The Grocery Box Co ltd. bigfatbags.co.uk
One Response to “The effect of England’s bag charge on the rest of the UK”
M young
I live in England and I agree with the plastic bag policy in supermarkets and already use my own bags and have done for the past two years, however I am not in agreement for clothes shopping and feel that clothes shops need to supply paper bags to protect our purchases, we pay enough tax on clothes and this could be an area where people may fight back by spending less on clothes shops, in general buying clothes is something that is done on a whim unlike grocery shopping where you prepare a list and ensure you take your bags with you.