Seattle 'bag tax' In the bag? Not exactly ...

Despite initial support, Seattle residents recently voted down a proposal that would have taxed plastic and paper shopping bags. The initiative, based on similar, successful programs elsewhere in the the U.S. and around the world, would have slapped a 20-cent "bag tax" on each plastic or paper bag a shopper requested.

But by some accounts, the tax would have cost shoppers an extra $300 a year (although the particular critic cited in the link is a grocery trade magazine; the grocery industry generally doesn't like these kinds of regulations).

While $300 per shopper per year sounds like a lot, the real purpose of the tax is to create a deterrent so citizens aren't bringing home a slew of bags after every trip to the supermarket or discount store.