Bag tax 'is the wrong priority for Scotland'

Criticism has been levelled at the Scottish government's consultation into a tax on carrier bags.

The British Retail Consortium has claimed that these items make up a minute amount of the total waste a household produces and claimed legislation in this area could distract from bigger environmental concerns.

Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium Ian Shearer acknowledged that retailers share the government's desire to reduce the use of carrier bags but suggested that there are better areas to focus on.

"Retailers are, rightly, more concerned with tackling bigger environmental goals such as reducing the carbon footprint of thousands of everyday products," he explained.

The National Federation of Retail Newsagents also commented on the proposals, stating that while retailers are supportive of the environmental aims, the government must ensure regulatory burdens are kept to a minimum.

Mr Shearer went on to suggest that the policy could be better informed by taking away lessons from the approach to the issue that is currently in place in Wales.

BDO's High Street Sales Tracker for May indicated a modest rebound, with like-for-like sales growing by 1.3 per cent in medium-sized chains when compared with figures from last year.