Statement from New Yorkers For Real Recycling Reform On Governors Paterson's Bottle Tax

ALBANY, NY (11/12/2008)(readMedia)-- Governor Paterson's proposal to expand the bottle tax to include virtually every product in the beverage aisle while keeping the unclaimed deposits is nothing more than a food tax that will come at the worst possible time for New Yorkers already struggling with increased food costs and other economic hardships.

Expanding the bottle tax will result in a price increase of up to $.15 per bottle of beverages such as kids' juice drinks, iced teas, sports drinks, bottled water, etc. Only $.05 will be refundable.

This is simply the wrong time to even talk about increasing the cost of a trip to the grocery. If this is the wrong time to increase income taxes on those making the most money, then how can we justify raising the grocery bills of those who can least afford it?

The Governor's proposal will increase the number of returnable bottles that grocers, distributors and other New York businesses will have to handle - taking them out of already existing recycling programs - and remove the money from the system that businesses use to pay for the State mandate. Businesses will have to pass those (now vastly increased) costs along to consumers resulting in even higher prices. And, at a time that thousands of New Yorkers' jobs are at risk, the Governor's proposal will put even more New York jobs in jeopardy.

Hiding a tax increase in the guise of an environmental proposal is nothing more than a cynical food tax that will cripple New York businesses and grocery stores, hurt New Yorkers and do very little to improve our economy or our environment.

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New Yorkers for Real Recycling Reform is a coalition of New York businesses, labor unions and retailers, who believe that New York should look to comprehensive solutions - Real Recycling Reform - and not an outdated, ineffective and costly idea like bottle law expansion.