The tax-averse Virginia House of Delegates rejected a bag tax this year, while its neighbors across the Potomac River have embraced the new charge. Del. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, introduced a nickel-a-bag fee on paper and plastic bags during this year’s General Assembly. Retailers would have kept a fraction of the fee, with revenues to be deposited into the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund.
“I introduced it because I believe strongly that we need to do everything we can to keep our streams and rivers clean,” Ebbin said. “It’s very much an educational process with many of my colleagues, and not every bill passes the first time or second time out.”
The Montgomery County Council approved a bag tax Tuesday, while the District’s went into effect in January 2010. The Maryland General Assembly, however, killed a bag tax proposal this year.
Meanwhile, Virginia Del. Joseph Morrissey, D-Henrico, proposed a hefty 20-cent levy on plastic bags.
Both Virginia measures exempted reusable bags and those used for ice cream, meat, fish, poultry, leftover restaurant food, newspapers, dry cleaning and prescription drugs. But neither made it out of the Republican-controlled House finance committee.
“That thing died in about a millisecond because it was a bad idea,” said Del. Dave Albo, R-Fairfax.
