Toronto City Council Plans to Tax Bottled Water Won’t Wash Up.
The idea was floated by one city councillor to tax bottled water at 5-cent for water bottled in the Province and 10-cents bottled outside at point of sale. But considering the number of retailers, this type of tax collection is soo expensive that the city Budget Chief is opposed to the idea and is not even certain if the city has the power to impose such tax. Under the law, the city can only collect taxes on alcohol, tobacco and entertainment, like concert tickets.
Unlike the province or the federal government, which already collect sales taxes, the city would have to set up a new bureaucracy.
I don't want to set up a department that's going to cost $8 million to $10 million to collect $15 million," said the budget chief.
But she added that if the city could have a sales tax that would generate $400 million a year, she'd be prepared to consider.
The idea of taxing bottle water is more of conservation than revenue. Most of these bottled water source are the same source of the tap water. And only 65% of bottles used for bottled water and other liquid drinks are recyclables and it took 20 million barrels of oil to produce the bottles for bottled water in America every year and imagine the oil used to transport them. Just turn on your taps, chill it and bottle it yourself and refill. Great lakes water tastes Great.
Before taking another sip from that expensive bottle of water, take a look at these facts..
