Taxes

This is something new: French Environment Minister said France will begin taxing non-recyclable cutlery and plates to entice consumers to buy more eco-friendly products. They call it "picnic tax" which is at USD1.29 per kg; not much but better than nothing. The French got it right because it's more critical to tackle the problem of over-consumption, which results in over-production of environmentally unfriendly products and services, than tout the popular concept of recycling. It's not how much we recycle that can help the earth; it's how much we consume in the first place that matters. I wonder what S'poreans will say if there is such a tax. Surely we are not going to just swallow and whine secretly, given our love for catering buffets for every occasion, DIY East Coast bbqs/chalet etc. But then again, if the tax rate is SGD2 per KILO of plastic cutlery, the public will probably pay as much attention to it as they do to the BYOB-or-pay-10-cents-for-NTUC plastic bags scheme. Huh? Pay lor.