What do you think of a 10¢ tax on a bottle of water?

[prolesunited]

Mayor Daley wants to impose this in the city of Chicago and has met with much resistance.

Good or bad idea and why?

[earth mom]

1. People are taxed to death in this country! Enough is Enough. nt

[angstlessk]

5. NO the wrong people are taxed at the wrong rate for the wrong things

if we taxed based on the resourses we use tax everything that is not requred to survive...THAT WOULD BE A FAIR TAX!

[earth mom]

21. Water belongs to ALL of us. nt

[angstlessk]

2. DO it...it costs more than that for the disposal of the bottles! n/t

[porphyrian]

3. Why buy bottled water in Chicago?

The tap water isn't bad, as long as you aren't in an old building with questionable (lead) pipes or something.

[liberal N proud]

4. Since bottled water makes so much sense why not

I realize there is a place for bottled water such as natural disasters. But the waste of bottled water is just amazing. All the plastic generated just to hold 8 oz. of H2O.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. If 5cents on it was refundable deposit, I could go for it...

The other 5cents should go for environmental cleanup programs. :)

[grilled onions]

7. Whatever Happened To Thermos Bottles?

Granted those shiny cold bottles can be a tempting the healthy choice at many eateries or the work place. Yes they are needed when fresh water does not exist but (I'm showing my age here) there was a time when people used to carry their water to work or school or even on camping trips. It created zero garbage and very little in cost.
With that in mind perhaps taxing water bottles will get at least some people to think twice about consuming so much water in those conveinient bottles and for those who insist on buy them and creating a lot of plastic in landfills I think it would be worth it.

[tomreedtoon]

8. Ever drink a bottle full of broken mirrored glass?

That's what happened to Thermos bottles. They insulate beautifully. They transport for crap.

I would approve of the ten-cent tax on bottled water...IF the money was applied to a massive works project to make drinkable water available in that city. They should do the same in every American city, to beef up all those "water purification" plants that have been getting no maintenance for the last thirty years. Let the yuppie scum pay for their freaking holy water, and may the results be better drinking water for the rest of us.

[prolesunited]

9. I think they stopped making those kinds of insulated bottles

AGES ago. My husband has two for his coffee. Keeps it plenty warm without any worries of broken glass.

Chicago, on the shores of Lake Michigan, has an abundant supply of good water.

And "yuppie scum" aren't the only ones drinking bottled water, at least the everyday brands.

[Rosemary2205]

18. Good god you are OLD. :) LOL

I think they quit making those things in the 70's. :) You can still buy Thermos bottles though. Just safer construction.

[graywarrior]

10. Wait til water becomes as expensive as oil.

Hell, GE is cashing in on it already.
http://www.gewater.com/what_we_do/water_scarcity/desalination.jsp

[Buzz Clik]

14. If you buy it by the bottle:

At $1.00 per 20 ounces from a vending machine, and 128 ounces per gallon, that's $6.40 per gallon. ouch.

[SoCalDem]

11. Good idea.. germophobia did away with drinking fountains

but people tossing plastic bottle after plastic bottle into landfills is not a good idea.. Maybe if they had to pay a $1 deposit, they might think twice about just tossing them away..

Bottled water selling for $2 a bottle, with $1 returned when you cash in the empty would be ok with me :)

[Buzz Clik]

12. How about $1 a bottle?

The waste involved in bottled water is stunning. Bottle water is probably no cleaner from chemicals than your tap water and is likely to have more microbial contamination.

So, if you're willing to pay $1 for less than $0.01 worth of water, why not $2?

[burrowowl]

13. Good, the plastic bootles are harmful

and after a short time water in plastic bottles becomes contaminated with bacteria. Your city water is cleaner than bottled water and some communities water tables are falling because people want a certain water.

[wuushew]

15. Bottled water is definitely not good for the environment

it takes a lot of energy to bottle, ship and distribute something that is no different on a molecular level than what you get out of the tap.

Also bottled water consumption appears to increase as a function of income so the regressivity of the tax doesn't bother me in this case.

[dbt]

16. Jack it up to a dollar and you can fund SCHIP

indefinitely. Whole helluva lot more people suck on water bottles than on cigarettes.

[soothsayer]

17. I'd rather have this than that ridiculous tax on my cigars, frankly

[SemiCharmedQuark]

19. I love the idea. I hate seeing the waste for just two sips of water.

SO few people recycle.

[Beerboy]

20. 10 cents? It's a good idea,

but the return should be for a quarter or a buck.
Many states have very successful re-cyclng programs based on the returnable concept.