Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) joined Sen. Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn), Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Staten Island) and dozens of elected officials in signing on to state legislation that would block the City Council’s five-cent grocery bag fee. After just one day of circulation, the state-proposed bill has already garnered the support of over 20 elected officials, and is sure to rise exponentially.
“It’s ridiculous that my fellow New Yorkers are continuing to be nickel and dimed,” said an outraged Hikind. “This motion to charge consumers a nickel for their grocery bags is an unfair tax on hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.”
Last week, the City Council voted in favor of a bill, 28-20, that would require certain retailers to collect a fee on each carryout bag, paper or plastic, beginning on Oct. 1. After much controversy behind the five-cent hike, Sen. Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Michael Cusick’s (D-Staten Island) then proposed a bill of their own that would protect New Yorkers from taxes or fees on the use of plastic bags, which was unanimously passed by the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Cities to the Senate floor yesterday.
“This is just one more thing New Yorkers have to worry about,” Hikind continued. “Grocery shopping is an extreme burden, and this bill that passed through the City Council would only add to that burden. As consumers, we now have to worry about making sure we have our reusable bags handy every time we go to the supermarket, or we’re hit with a charge. It’s absolutely ridiculous and must be stopped.”
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
