Toledo mayor floats plastic bag tax

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Toledo's mayor is proposing that shoppers pay a tax on each plastic shopping bag they take from a supermarket or other store.

Mayor Carty Finkbeiner says the city should discourage people from using plastic bags, which he says create waste and litter and plug up sewers.

In a letter to the city council on Tuesday, the mayor didn't get specific about the amount of the tax, which he called a "green fee." Council President Mark Sobczak says Finkbeiner has talked about copying a proposal made in New York City by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who wants to charge a nickel a bag.

Toledo councilman Joe McNamara says a bag tax could help the environment, but councilwoman Lindsay Webb calls the idea "crazy." She says residents already pay enough in fees.

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Information from: The Blade, http://www.toledoblade.com/