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Latte Levy’s Unintended Toll
Survey indicates coffee shops would suffer
A proposed £.25 ($0.33) tax on disposable paper cups with plastic linings would stop one in three coffee drinkers from visiting a British coffee shop, according to a major poll by the Paper Cup Alliance.
The tax would also apply to soft drink and shake cups made of plastic. Paper cup manufacturers warned of unintended consequences.
Three in four out-of-home coffee drinkers visit other retailers when they caffeinate. On average a coffee drinker stopping for a brew visits two other retail shops and spends an average £15 ($20), according to the survey.
Britain’s Commons Environment Audit Committee backs the tax in a bid to recycle all throwaway cups by 2023. UK residents discard 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups a year, only 1% are recycled.