Just bag the bag tax

In today’s installment of rank political hypocrisy we have some of the same politicians who are fretting about the MBTA’s new cashless fare system — it could harm the poor, they worry — acting to dun Bostonians who forget to tote along reusable shopping bags on every trip to the corner store.

Now, do Boston city councilors realize that poor people also shop for groceries? And that they might not always have their made-from-recycled materials cloth shopping bags from Whole Foods handy?

Yes, the City Council is finally ready to vote today on whether to ban the use of single-use plastic grocery bags in city stores, part of a campaign to reduce litter global climate change. Let no city councilor underestimate his own powers, apparently.

Stores would be allowed to offer thicker, compostable plastic bags (will city inspectors be out, analyzing the difference?) along with paper bags that are recyclable made from recycled material — but they’ll be required to charge customers for them, at “no less than” 5 cents per.

Just to complicate matters beyond the point of parody, recyclable paper bags handles will carry no charge. So, if you don’t happen to carry reusable bags on your person at all times, rest easy knowing there will be no fee for the bags that tip easily and are almost impossible to carry. That ought to be fun on the T.

The really terrific news for store owners — who will keep the revenue from the mandatory bag fees, and get the pleasure of explaining them to angry customers — is that the city will let them draw down their existing inventory of banned bags. But they’ll have to file monthly reports on their “inventory reduction and remaining stocks.” The bag police, don’t you know.

Progressive city leaders are getting a twofer on this — a new tax oodles of praise from the green lobby. But the practical effect will be to inconvenience store owners and tax hard-working city dwellers who just need a bag to carry their dripping package of hamburger home from the store.

We hope the more practical heads on the council prevail. If they don’t, we urge Mayor Marty Walsh to reject this measure.