Last week, the Montgomery County Council approved a nickel grocery bag tax. The stated goals of the tax are to raise revenue and curb the use of plastic grocery bags. The bags, the county says, are an environmental hazard. Instead, county officials say they want to encourage Montgomery County shoppers to use reusable bags. Unfortunately, the measure misses the mark. What bag taxes like these result in isn’t very “green” at all. And, what might be affordable for one of America’s most affluent counties certainly wouldn’t be affordable for working–class communities, let alone the entire state.