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Congress should imposeheavy thx on single-use plastic bags
By CHARISSA M. LUCFAItfi{A
As far as the Department of En-
'vironment and Natural Resources
(DENR) is concerned, single - use
plastic bags should be heavily taxed
by Congress to discourage its use and
help address the alarming plastic
pollgtiqn in the country.
D{NR Undersecretarv for Solid
'l,t
Waste Management and Local Gov-
ernment Units Concerns Benny An-
tiporda made the call a5 the House
Conmittee on Ways and Means is set
to invite the DENR to asMts position
on.House Bill U8 which seeks to im-
pos€ Plo excise tax for every kilo of
single-use plastic bag removed from
the place of production, or released
from the customshouse.
\.PAw --zu
(rI
propose that rather than ban-
ning it,
we should tax it. We should
impose heavy tax," Antiporda said.
He said the P1o excise tax for ev-
ery kilo of single-use plastic bag as
proposed under Suansing,s bill is not
enough to deter the use of plastics.
((It should be higher
because
when we impose higher tax, the
cost will be shouldered by Juan dela
- DENR,,t.
Cruz and they w-ill be discouraged
to buy that. They will definite$ go
for cheaper products,)) Antipordal.
said.
The DENR official said they wiil
come up with a proposal that will not
only discourage the use of single-
use plastics, but even residuals or
garbage or thrash that cannot be
recycled;