The Yorkshire Post says: The latte levy '“ a price worth paying?

A PROPOSED '˜latte levy' won't be everyone's cup of tea now that there's a coffee shop on so many streets.
Do you support the proposed latte tax?Do you support the proposed latte tax?
Do you support the proposed latte tax?

Yet if the 25p tax, advocated today by Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee headed by Wakefield MP Mary Creagh, changes behaviour, encourages recycling and reduces the amount of discarded plastic, it’s a small price to pay – the UK throws away 2.5 billion disposal coffee cups every year.

What’s wrong with regular coffee shop users taking their own cup if it avoids the charge? The late Tony Benn, so long the country’s most famous tea-drinker, invariably carried the same mug on his travels (along with teabags and a Thermos of hot water).

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And sceptics should remember the impact of the 5p charge on single-use carrier bags. Criticised at first, it has made a discernible difference, hence why this latest proposal should be regarded as an opportunity to protect the environment rather than just another tax that milks consumers.