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Why shouldn't government use a tax to influence health? Tax the things you don't want - tobacco, unhealthy food, carbon emissions and tax breaks on the things y

Why shouldn't government use a tax to influence health? Tax the things you don't want - tobacco, unhealthy food, carbon emissions and tax breaks on the things you do. It worked very well cutting smoking in the UK, in tandem with advertising and shop display restrictions.

MrStonedOne 7y ago
The ends do not the justify the means, and the means is the government saying that poor people get one set of freedoms, and rich people get another.
- carapace 7y ago
  You're gonna love this: recently, in San Francisco, a measure has been passed to make parking meters "demand-responsive". https://www.govtech.com/fs/automation/San-Francisco-Rolls-Out-Dynamic-Parking-Rate-Model.html https://www.govtech.com/fs/automation/San-Francisco-Rolls-Ou... > As of December, San Francisco has transitioned its SFpark pilot into a citywide program to set rates on all 28,000 parking spaces on public streets and 14 city-operated garages. The plan prices parking based on demand — not unlike the approach used by airlines to set fares or ride-hailing apps to set the price of a trip. > “Demand-responsive pricing,” as the concept is known, means “prices could fluctuate block by block, time-band by time-band, and then weekday versus weekend,” said Hank Wilson, parking policy manager for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). > The new approach to setting parking rates in San Francisco based on demand is not intended as an effort to raise parking revenue, officials stress. In fact, the new system will likely be revenue neutral because rates on many streets and in garages will likely drop.
  - stjohnswarts 7y ago
    It's so the silicon valley yuppies can always find a place to park and eff the working poor. These laws are terrible.
viridian 7y ago
Unfortunately sin taxes are always regressive, and it's pretty easy to make the case that they mostly just punish the poor for their own circumstances. Sin taxes are rarely, if ever levied against the sins of society's upper crust.

MrStonedOne 7y ago

The ends do not the justify the means, and the means is the government saying that poor people get one set of freedoms, and rich people get another.

carapace 7y ago
You're gonna love this: recently, in San Francisco, a measure has been passed to make parking meters "demand-responsive". https://www.govtech.com/fs/automation/San-Francisco-Rolls-Out-Dynamic-Parking-Rate-Model.html https://www.govtech.com/fs/automation/San-Francisco-Rolls-Ou... > As of December, San Francisco has transitioned its SFpark pilot into a citywide program to set rates on all 28,000 parking spaces on public streets and 14 city-operated garages. The plan prices parking based on demand — not unlike the approach used by airlines to set fares or ride-hailing apps to set the price of a trip. > “Demand-responsive pricing,” as the concept is known, means “prices could fluctuate block by block, time-band by time-band, and then weekday versus weekend,” said Hank Wilson, parking policy manager for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). > The new approach to setting parking rates in San Francisco based on demand is not intended as an effort to raise parking revenue, officials stress. In fact, the new system will likely be revenue neutral because rates on many streets and in garages will likely drop.
- stjohnswarts 7y ago
  It's so the silicon valley yuppies can always find a place to park and eff the working poor. These laws are terrible.

viridian 7y ago

Unfortunately sin taxes are always regressive, and it's pretty easy to make the case that they mostly just punish the poor for their own circumstances. Sin taxes are rarely, if ever levied against the sins of society's upper crust.