Posted on 05/05/2010 12:26:27 PM PDT by MichCapCon
There is no shortage of bad ideas coming out of Lansing. Senate Bill 1285 introduced by Sen. Bruce Patterson, R-Canton, would require customers to pay a deposit on each newspaper they purchase equal to one-half the retail price of the newspaper. The proposed law would operate much like Michigan's bottle deposit law. Newspapers would be required to be returned to a redemption center, with each publisher in the state required to operate at least one such center.
What possible benefit to the public could there be in requiring a newspaper deposit? There is certainly no environmental benefit since many Michigan communities offer curbside recycling that includes newspapers. In most cases where curbside recycling is not offered, there are recycling centers located within a reasonable distance. People throwing newspapers out the windows of their vehicles as they travel highways in the state seem to be rare occurrences.
Raising revenue for the school aid fund appears to be the real motivation behind SB 1285. The bill would require that deposits that go unclaimed by customers (probably a common practice due to the inconvenience of returning papers to a regional redemption center) be claimed by the state and deposited in the school aid fund.
No matter what the rational for prosing SB 1285, the results would be the death of published newspapers in Michigan. The newspaper industry is already facing immense pressure from decreased advertising revenues and the proliferation of online information. If this bill were to become law it would seal their fate...
(Excerpt) Read more at michigancapitolconfidential.com ...
Why would anyone complain about this bill?
A Republican suggesting a “Tax”? What is this world coming to.
A 50% tax on newspapers. wow.
Could you imaging the redemption center being 100 miles away? What is the chance to get your money back? Would the age of the paper matter? If I collected them from 1969 can I get my quarter or fifty cents for each of them?
Do they have to return the WHOLE paper? How exactly is this going to work?
Interesting. I can’t see how it wouldn’t kill off the papers though.
How would the recycling center identify how many newspapers I return and which day's (weekday or more expensive Sunday) paper I am returning? Can I split the Sunday paper into two piles (sections A-C and D-F) and try to claim a deposit refund twice? Can I stuff my returned newspapers with junk mail to artificially boost the size and weight?
Exactly, don't the newspapers care about saving the Earth?
I'd bet they were big supporters of every fee, tax, law and mandate for others in the name of hard left enviromentism, but now that it's being put on them they're not pleased at all.
This is such a typically Michigan response to a non-problem.
Excellent idea. Save the planet. Kill a newspaper. Waste of resources and Union printed!
Coming to a city near you.
Making sure that the returned newspapers are complete and correct in all respects before the refunds are made will create thousands of wonderful "green" jobs.
I think it will kill off paid newspapers too.
What about unpaid papers?
What about all those free shoppers?
Won’t they have to recycle those too??
Its unworkable.
What about all those free shoppers and stuff?
the results would be the death of published newspapers in Michigan....
OK then - raise it 3x, and do it tomorrow! There is no weaker constituency than that holding up the creaking remains of the newspapermen business. Give them a strong push in the tar pits!
I think this needs to be applied to the Ney York Times, think about saving the planet....
I have a better idea. Require publishers to bypass the consumer and bring the newspapwer directly to the shredding center. That reduces the risk that readers get infected with the toxic ideas that in most of the rags that pass for newspapers.
Better to just beat the woman who reads the paper.
A newspaper deposit. Sounds like a republican Steele would just LOVE!!!
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