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Well the way I look at this, we're paying for it right? Supply and demand, people.
by kajecounterhack 19y ago
Well the way I look at this, we're paying for it right? Supply and demand, people.
- brlittle 19y agoActually, the argument being made is that you're _not_ paying for it. The externalities -- degraded environment, pollution, economic damage, etc. -- are being passed on to the powerless in other countries, or to future generations. In economic jargon (or as much thereof as I remember from college) there are negative externalities which are unaccounted for in the current market price. I believe one of the arguments being made is also that if those externalities _were_ incorporated into the price, bottled water would be much less appealing on the basis of cost.
- davidw 19y agoPrecisely. The 'correct' thing to do to strike a balance between freedom and preventing damage is to levy a tax to 'cancel out' the externality. If people really, really want their bottled water, they'll be free to buy it, but factored into that price will be the true costs. That's the theory, anyway. Calculating those costs may not always be obvious.