Bizarre Welsh news story of the day has to belong to Community Pharmacy Wales and their claim that free prescriptions will be abolished in Wales if a carrier bag tax of 15p is introduced.
They believe that patients will be charged for the bags their medicines are dispensed in if Environment Minister Jane Davidson’s proposals become law in Wales. Ian Cowan, chair of CPW, said: “The Welsh Assembly Government is understandably proud of its flagship policy of free prescriptions for the people of Wales and CPW would not wish to see this diluted by a levy created by another Assembly Government policy creating a charge at the point of supply.
“As the proposals currently stand, pharmacists will be required to put free prescription items into bags for which they have to levy a charge.
“CPW believes this is unacceptable and is effectively taxing the people of Wales when they are ill.”
Of course this charge can be avoided if the pharmacists dispense medicines in paper bags or even encourage their customers to bring their own environmentally-friendly carrier with them. Irrespective of its merits the idea that a plastic carrier bag tax is a levy on health by the back-door is just ludicrous.
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