AUSTRALIA: Extra container deposit may cripple drinks industry

South Australia's Environment Minister, Iain Evans, announced plans yesterday (10 October) to add a deposit charge of A$0.05 onto the price of drinks containers, and in doing so he angered manufacturers. Brenton Higgins, regional manager of National Foods , has already vowed to fight the extra charge, which he believes may cripple an industry already confronting a levy of A$0.11 goods and service tax. Legislation on container deposit fees was first introduced into South Australia in 1975, and Evans argues that his new proposals reflect the changes in the consumer market since then.