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I would actually really like it if a public-health approach was taken to household choices. Driving a car is simply expensive for society at large, because it h
by pasabagi 5y ago
I would actually really like it if a public-health approach was taken to household choices. Driving a car is simply expensive for society at large, because it has all sorts of negative effects on air quality, pedestrian safety, even stuff like municipal service provision (less density = higher costs). This isn't priced in, either in terms of taxation (normally you tax goods that cause social ills heavily, like cigarettes). In fact, the reverse happens. This is stupid, and bad for everyone, even car drivers.
- bserge 5y agoAnd as always, the poor pay more. Your plumber, landscaper, construction crew need a car, but you're not gonna pay them more, are you. Always some out of touch chodes getting paid six figures to work from home telling the rest they should be taxed more for using a car or something stupid.
- pasabagi 5y agoIt would be pretty easy to offer a tax rebate for people who use a van for work.
- triceratops 5y agoNah. Too easy to game. Let them pass on the costs to their customers.
- SilasX 5y agoActually, I like when goods reflect their cost of production, the economy works better that way.
- mavhc 5y agoExactly, just add the cost of cleaning up pollution to everything, then use the money to clean up the pollution. Side effects: cheaper ways of cleaning up pollution, and people making less pollution so their stuff is cheaper Anything else is just cheating
- triceratops 5y ago> Your plumber, landscaper, construction crew need a car, but you're not gonna pay them more, are you. Why not? If they all have to pay the same tax, they'll all start charging more. Same way they do if the price of pipe or lumber or gas goes up.
- SilasX 5y agoExactly. We're paying for it somehow, the only question is whether the costs should be borne proportionately by the people that impose those costs. And the reasonable answer is: "Of course!"
- scrose 5y agoHow do plumbers, landscapers and construction crews survive in countries where car ownership and gas is taxed heavily?
- usr1106 5y agoThey have higher rates and their are fewer of them . And as a consequence 99.9% people mow their lawn themselves. Even many software engineers here do significant own work when the family builds a house. At least in bigger companies it is fully socially accepted that a software engineer is less productive at work during the year they are building a house. - Living in a high tax country
- jonplackett 5y agoUnfortunately the poor will also pay more for the climate change the diesel causes, and are more likely to be affected by the crap air. The rich always make sure they never pay for anything. That’s why they’re rich.