Ripped off by plastic bag tax

RE: TAXES

I recently made a visit to Walmart to buy food items, and forgot to take a bag. The cost was more than I expected it to be, so I checked the receipt, only to find an HST charge of one cent for the plastic bag!

After spending hours on the phone trying to check the legitimacy of this, I learned that it is with full knowledge and approval of both Walmart and the government. This appalling practice goes unnoticed by just about everyone, because it is buried along with other taxable charges, but yesterday my transaction was unique.

Most small stores don’t charge for bags, seems it is only the huge companies that want to grab more, and Revenue Canada approves. I don’t think I have ever noticed that plastic bags are taxed, because it is a hidden charge on most cash register slips. And just what is 13 per cent of five cents? It seems an insignificant amount to make a fuss over, but multiply that by a million customers, it is not insignificant to Walmart or Revenue Canada. I feel cheated.

Patricia M. Ryan, Burlington