Study urged on impact of tax on plastic bags

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is asking Congress to carefully study a proposal to eliminate the use of plastic bags by charging a tax or environmental levy, citing the possible displacement of the workers in the plastic industry.

In a statement, PCCI president Francis Chua estimated that about 300 local manufacturers and processors of carrier bags, employing about 175,000 workers, will be affected by the proposed legislations. He said these figures should be considered by legislators during their deliberation.

In a position paper submitted to Rep. Danilo Fernandez, chairman of the House Committee on Ecology, on the proposed legislations on regulating and phasing-out plastic bags and other materials, PCCI maintained that any regulation, ban or charge system through tax or environmental levy on any packaging material should be backed by and based on a life cycle analysis (LCA) and cost-benefit analysis.

PCCI also highlighted the need to identify effective and practical alternatives to plastic bags and to consider the consequences of the ban.

Chua also noted that the Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 mandates the National Solid Waste Management Council (NSWMC) through the National Ecology Center to evaluate products or packaging that are unsafe in production use, post consumer use or that produce or release harmful by-products when discarded. 

“The NSWMC should hasten their study and we should wait for the result,” Chua said.

The PCCI position paper also calls for the establishment of a recycling system in the country to divert resources from waste and for stricter implementation of existing laws on anti-littering, waste segregation and establishment of sanitary landfill.

PCCI vice president for environment Felipe L. Gozon noted that the problem on clogged waterways is caused by indiscriminate disposal handling and improper segregation of solid waste. A concerted effort between the government and the business sector to establish a mechanism for the collection and recycling of plastic bags may be a better alternative and the more sustainable solution to the pollution problem and clogging of drainage systems, he said.