Ban Plastic Bags, or Tax Them?

The latest New Yorker features a story by Ian Frazier about Jennie Romer, who is billed as the country's leading expert on legal efforts to ban or tax plastic shopping bags. Romer prefers charging a 5 or 10 cent tax,

because it makes shoppers think about whether they really need the bag and allows them to buy it if they do. Fees are also easier to defend against legal challenges. Bans, on the other hand, tend to get more support, she said, because voters seem to enjoy banning things.