£7k donated to one of last month’s charities by our local Asda if I read the notice correctly. It’s worth noting that the store also wins because they only have to buy a fifth as many bags, for which they were not charging before.

And btw contrary to your claim, the proposal would not see the money levied going to the retailer :

Evidence – see the last point below too.

And a tax on the retailer too, as they now have to report, account and somebody will be auditing this.

http://www.carrierbagchargewales.gov.uk/retailers/reportingback/?lang=en

All sellers that employ 10 or more staff and charge for single use carrier bags are required by law to keep an accurate record for every reporting year.

The first reporting year will run from 1 October 2011 until 6 April 2012. Following reporting years will run from 7 April to 6 April.

The records must be kept by the retailer for three years from 31 May in the following year. So the first year’s record must be kept until 31 May 2015, the second year’s record until 31 May 2016 and so on.

The record must contain:
-the number of single use carrier bags charged for;
-the gross (total) amount received from charging for single use carrier bags. So if you charge 10p per bag you would count the total here;
-the gross (total) proceeds of the charge;
-the net (final amount after deductions) proceeds of the charge;
-a breakdown of the difference between the gross and net proceeds including the deduction of VAT and the deductions for “reasonable costs”; and
-what you have done with the net proceeds.

And the 5p does include VAT, from HMRC:

Thus, for the avoidance of doubt, A VAT-registered business would charge 4.17 pence plus VAT.

And any of the money the retailer gives to charity is also tax-deductible…

Works a treat here in Wales.

Noticed a huge decrease in bag usage at the tills shortly after it was introduced. Seems odd going to England and not using a bag for life I’ve brought with me!! Get some strange looks when I get the bag out of my pocket!!

Oh and the 5p’s add up. My local Maccy D’s (I know) has raised nearly £50k for charities, the Asda over £130k. You even have a say which charity (usually a local one) gets the cash at Asda by dropping a little green disc in a slot.

Evidence – see the last point below too.

Firstly you have provided evidence of what they do in Wales, I haven’t heard it mentioned that Nick Clegg’s proposal is to replicate exactly what they do in Wales.

And secondly the fact that a charge includes VAT does not define the charge as a tax. A great deal of the groceries you pay for in supermarkets also include VAT in their prices, including life-long shopping bags, which means that they will have exactly the same status as disposable plastic shopping bags (if VAT is indeed charged on them in England).

it also annoys me that it’s another tax and it doesn’t even go to the country, but the supermarkets bottom line.

If you don’t buy a bag, you don’t pay the five pee, which is entirely the point. Ergo, it’s not a tax, but a levy. You have the choice to take a bag with you every time you shop, and not pay for each plastic bag you might otherwise use.
How difficult is that very simple principle to understand?

If you don’t buy a bag, you don’t pay the five pee, which is entirely the point. Ergo, it’s not a tax, but a levy. You have the choice to take a bag with you every time you shop, and not pay for each plastic bag you might otherwise use.
How difficult is that very simple principle to understand?

levy, charge, tax – all cash leaving my pocket for someone else’s; and as far as I’m concerned, where the Govt dictates it, it’s a tax.

Presumably it should also include the sealed bags used for fish? And from my reading of Wales it has nothing to do with plastic, but any single-use ‘carrier’ bag.

b r – Member
all cash leaving my pocket for someone else’s

Unless you take a bag with you…

Oh well never mind br, you didn’t appear to be very happy that, quote : “it doesn’t even go to the country” but you now believe that the charge won’t be VAT exempt. So the government will in fact get .83 pence which the retailer won’t get. That should cheer you up ! 🙂

Have read that it will be big shops and supermarkets.
As it included paper bags we would have been stuffed.
Having to add up how many bags we gave away on Christmas eve would be a nightmare.
We’ve already had a whole lot more red tape loaded on us having to work out tax on our one day a week staff as some of them have pensions.
You can’t believe the amount of paper work that has to go god knows where to work out that no tax needs paying this month.