The Consumer Council is calling on traders to get their act together and don’t charge the new 20cents plastic bag levy before the government’s new financial year.

The increased levy from 10cents to 20cents was announced by the Minister for Economy as the next step in a gradual phase-out of plastic bags by 2020.

This increased levy is to be introduced next month, however, the Consumer Council says some large traders, with the wealth and breadth of financial advisory resources available to them, are still making mistakes with the application of the levy.

The Consumer Council received a recent case where a consumer was charged the 20cents plastic bag levy last week at a service station in Kinoya.

This is the second year the plastic bag levy has been applied and is inexcusable for such errors to occur.

Consumers who feel they are wrongly charged for the plastic bag can contact the National Consumer Helpline toll-free number 155 or the FRCS.