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> If you do that you disincentivise the rich (who tend to also be the powerful) from using those services, and encourage a two-tier system. The total payment w

> If you do that you disincentivise the rich (who tend to also be the powerful) from using those services, and encourage a two-tier system. The total payment would be capped at the actual cost (slightly above to cover for those who earn below the minimum), like the student loan. That would mitigate the issue somewhat, although admittedly not entirely. The issue with general taxation is that it leaves so many people feeling disenfranchised and apathetic with regards to their taxes due to no real idea or impact on where their money goes. It also incentivises inefficiency.

lmm 5y ago
> The total payment would be capped at the actual cost (slightly above to cover for those who earn below the minimum), like the student loan. That would mitigate the issue somewhat, although admittedly not entirely. If you charge more than the actual cost, why would anyone in the chargeable bracket not pursue a private alternative? > The issue with general taxation is that it leaves so many people feeling disenfranchised and apathetic with regards to their taxes due to no real idea or impact on where their money goes. It also incentivises inefficiency. Society is complex and barely understood, it's best to be honest with ourselves about that. I don't think "incentivises inefficiency" is true; an agency that charges users is encouraged to maximise its number of users, maybe, but that's not going to be a good proxy for the public good - for many agencies the goal should be making sure users never need that agency again.
- bullianbp 5y ago
  The marginal cost of a passenger on public transport is much less than the cost of a taxi. Even if the ceiling is double this cost it's still a good deal. The marginal cost of an entry to a public museum is typically much less than the price of entry to a private museum. When you compare the relative quality of the museums it is much much less.
  - lmm 5y ago
    > The marginal cost of a passenger on public transport is much less than the cost of a taxi. Even if the ceiling is double this cost it's still a good deal. Until private industry starts doing things like the Google buses. > The marginal cost of an entry to a public museum is typically much less than the price of entry to a private museum. Public museums may charge but they're still heavily subsidized.
- KptMarchewa 5y ago
  >If you charge more than the actual cost, why would anyone in the chargeable bracket not pursue a private alternative? 1) "cost" is not equivalent to a value gained by studying there. Even in extremely costly US universities, on average it's advantageous to pursue education. 2) If you charge over "actual cost" in Europe, it's still way less than US prices, inflated among others by byzantine administration. 3) In most of Europe, private universities are complete joke.

lmm 5y ago

> The total payment would be capped at the actual cost (slightly above to cover for those who earn below the minimum), like the student loan. That would mitigate the issue somewhat, although admittedly not entirely. If you charge more than the actual cost, why would anyone in the chargeable bracket not pursue a private alternative? > The issue with general taxation is that it leaves so many people feeling disenfranchised and apathetic with regards to their taxes due to no real idea or impact on where their money goes. It also incentivises inefficiency. Society is complex and barely understood, it's best to be honest with ourselves about that. I don't think "incentivises inefficiency" is true; an agency that charges users is encouraged to maximise its number of users, maybe, but that's not going to be a good proxy for the public good - for many agencies the goal should be making sure users never need that agency again.

bullianbp 5y ago
The marginal cost of a passenger on public transport is much less than the cost of a taxi. Even if the ceiling is double this cost it's still a good deal. The marginal cost of an entry to a public museum is typically much less than the price of entry to a private museum. When you compare the relative quality of the museums it is much much less.
- lmm 5y ago
  > The marginal cost of a passenger on public transport is much less than the cost of a taxi. Even if the ceiling is double this cost it's still a good deal. Until private industry starts doing things like the Google buses. > The marginal cost of an entry to a public museum is typically much less than the price of entry to a private museum. Public museums may charge but they're still heavily subsidized.
KptMarchewa 5y ago
>If you charge more than the actual cost, why would anyone in the chargeable bracket not pursue a private alternative? 1) "cost" is not equivalent to a value gained by studying there. Even in extremely costly US universities, on average it's advantageous to pursue education. 2) If you charge over "actual cost" in Europe, it's still way less than US prices, inflated among others by byzantine administration. 3) In most of Europe, private universities are complete joke.