why don't they charge the manufacturers instead? now everyone's just gonna direct their anger at the city. Polluter pays principle!

sure, but essentially any charge to manufacturers means higher costs for consumers anyways. maybe angry manufacturers may just be as vocal.

but manufacturers are not necessarily your constituents. let them be the bearer of bad news to consumers. taxing your constituents give environmental protection the bad idea - that taxes get raised and big fat government employees get bigger pensions. let them blame the market directly.

I still believe that it's the same. Manufacturers can just lobby and attribute these eco-taxes to the government.

Nevertheless, I think that most people can accept a small tax on these items without much political suicides.

If you charge the manufacturer, then you penalize canadian manufacturers relative to imports from foreign manufacturers. If you add the same fee as tariffs on imports, then I don't know if it'll be anb issue with trade agreements that we always hear on the news....

it will have to be an import tariffs. The EU is doing it already. So it's definitely viable (although expect people turning to America for anti-example.)

Taxing the buyer directly goes against polluters pay. the consumers are not the one creating the problem, so why make them become the direct bearer of costs. You're right about the fact that manufacturers lobbying and externalizing the cost. but that's only a better way to represent the true cost of a consumer product. People buying a TV should be forewarned WHEN THEY MAKE THE PURCHASE. Applying these tv recycling taxes is also a retroactive tariff - it penalizes people who didn't know about these costs when they bought the TV.

Look at our blue box program. half the costs is paid by manufacturers - that's much better than charging people at the curb. check out Waste Diversion Ontario for the manufacturers agreement to pay 50% of all blue box program (calculated by weight).