Bottle tax is proving costly to Baltimore

The tax on beverage containers is failing Baltimore consumers and businesses from small retailers to larger supermarkets just like it did last time ("Don't smash the bottle tax," Sept. 1).

As part of the broader Stop the Baltimore City Beverage Tax coalition, we are working to educate consumers and policymakers about the harmful effects of that this tax has had on city residents and businesses. This tax is regressive and hurts the most those who can least afford it.

Retailers in Baltimore should not be penalized with lost business due to people driving to the suburbs to avoid the tax. This tax further squeezes families that are already struggling to make ends meet. What we need now are policies that create jobs and stimulate the economy, not ones that threaten them.

The city council has an opportunity to look at the facts and fallout after the one-year implementation and reconsider. And we urge them to do so.

Ellen Valentino, Annapolis

The writer is executive director of the Maryland/Delaware/District of Columbia Beverage Association.