Sen. Francis Pangilinan on Thursday urged the Senate to begin deliberations on proposals seeking to impose an excise tax on single-use plastics bags.
Pangilinan made his call after the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means approved House Bill 178 which seeks to impose a P20 excise tax per kilogram of single-use plastic bags on December 10.
“Now that budget hearings are over, there are still few days left where we could start hearing the proposed measures on single-use plastics here in the Senate,” Pangilinan said in a news statement.
“Malacañang itself is studying ban on single-use plastics, so it’s imperative that the Senate start the hearings,” he said.
Pangilinan added that passing measures that will tax or ban single-use plastics is also a “step in the right direction” in helping mitigate the effects of climate change.