E&T has also heard concerns that the tax will not be paid back into the UK’s recycling system, with retailers warning that the added costs could be passed on to consumers, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis.
From 1 April, businesses manufacturing or importing ten tonnes or more a year of plastic packaging that contains less than 30 per cent recycled plastic will be taxed at £200 per tonne.
Big supermarkets and other retailers that produce and sell own-brand products will need to pay the tax. Imports of packaging which already contains goods, such as plastic bottles filled with drinks or plastic packaging around goods, will also be subject to the tax.
In Europe, the EU Commission has already introduced a plastic packaging levy on Member States at a rate of €800/tonne based on the amount of plastic packaging placed on their own markets. The aim is to encourage EU nations to introduce their own plastic taxes to fund their liability to the EU.
Italy...