French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has announced that the country will not tax sporks and other plastic utensils after all.
The French government has conceded that now is perhaps not the best time to introduce the products now because many French are already worried about their declining purchasing power. Indeed, those opposed to the tax criticized Fillon for creating a tax that would hit ordinary citizens in the pocketbook.
This week, Fillon backed off of the tax, telling reporters:
There will be no new tax. There is no picnic tax.
However, the turnabout on the tax was not well received by Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo. Borloo has made it a priority to make France a more environmentally-friendly economy.
After the announcement, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that the government is considering a second list of disposable products that might be subject to green taxes in the future. However, the government denies the existence of such a list. N’est-ce pas intéressant?