There is no Connecticut bag tax in effect today. The state’s ten-cent fee on single-use plastic checkout bags expired on June 30, 2021, and was replaced the next day by an outright ban on those bags.1Justia. Connecticut Code 22a-246a – Single-Use Checkout Bags Any bag charge you see on a receipt now comes from the store or a local ordinance, not from the state.
What Replaced the Old Fee
Connecticut General Statutes Section 22a-246a prohibits stores from giving out or selling single-use plastic checkout bags, the thin plastic bags that used to be standard at grocery and retail checkouts.1Justia. Connecticut Code 22a-246a – Single-Use Checkout Bags Thicker reusable plastic bags, paper bags, and bags you bring from home are not affected. Produce bags, newspaper sleeves, and dry cleaning bags are also exempt from the ban.
Because the state fee is gone, there is no longer a dedicated bag charge collected by the Department of Revenue Services. Stores that owed fees during the 2019 to 2021 transition period and failed to remit them can still be pursued for those amounts with penalties and interest, but that is a closed chapter for shoppers.
Paper Bag Charges Come From the Store
No state law requires a store to charge you for a paper bag.2Department of Revenue Services. Single-Use Plastic Bag Fee to Sunset When a receipt shows a ten-cent or twenty-five-cent paper bag line, that price is the retailer’s own decision. Paper bags cost stores substantially more than the old thin plastic bags did, and many pass the cost through rather than absorb it.
Prices vary. Some chains charge ten cents, some charge more, and some include bags at no cost. Bringing your own bag avoids the question.
Sales Tax Still Applies to the Bag
When a store sells you a paper bag or a reusable bag, that sale is subject to Connecticut’s 6.35% sales tax.2Department of Revenue Services. Single-Use Plastic Bag Fee to Sunset The bag is treated like any other taxable product, so a ten-cent bag actually costs about eleven cents at the register. Retailers collect and remit the tax through their normal sales tax returns, with no separate bag reporting line.3CT.gov. Sales and Use Tax Information
Local Ordinances Can Add Their Own Charges
State law lets municipalities go further than the state ban and set their own rules for paper bags, including required fees.1Justia. Connecticut Code 22a-246a – Single-Use Checkout Bags A town cannot weaken the plastic ban, but it can add requirements on top of it.
Madison requires retailers to charge ten cents for a paper bag, mandates at least 40% post-consumer recycled content, and requires the charge to appear on the receipt. The ten cents stays with the retailer, and sales tax still applies.4Town of Madison, CT. Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance Norwalk’s ordinance also sets a ten-cent paper bag charge but exempts purchases paid for with SNAP, WIC, or similar food assistance benefits.5Norwalk, CT – Official Website. Carryout Bag Ordinance If you shop across different towns, expect the rules at the register to differ.
SNAP and WIC Purchases
The old state plastic bag fee had no exemption for customers paying with SNAP or WIC; it applied to everyone.6CT.gov. OCG-9 Regarding the Single-Use Plastic Bag Fee With the state fee gone, the answer now depends on where you shop. Norwalk’s ordinance exempts SNAP and WIC purchases from its paper bag charge.5Norwalk, CT – Official Website. Carryout Bag Ordinance Other towns and individual stores set their own policies, so ask at the register if you think an exemption should apply.