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‘It is incredible what people can pay in tax if they just get used to it.’ — Erik Brofoss, former Norwegian minister of finance and director of the IMF.
by kebman 5y ago
‘It is incredible what people can pay in tax if they just get used to it.’
— Erik Brofoss, former Norwegian minister of finance and director of the IMF.
- namdnay 5y agoIt’s not a tax..
- throwaway0a5e 5y agoJust because you get a rebate for engaging in "desired behavior" doesn't make it not a tax.
- namdnay 5y agowhen it's a 100% rebate for the vast majority of people i think it does? the money doesn't go to the state, it goes to the organisation that handles the recycling, and you get a 100% rebate for doing the normal thing
- cgriswald 5y agoIn California the money goes from bottlers to a state agency and the program is essentially used to fund curbside recycling programs. The costs get passed down to consumers. While it’s indirect, it’s essentially a government service you’re taxed for that you pay either with your wallet or your labor. Additionally, since the deposit is not exempted from sales tax, the consumer also pays more sales tax than they would otherwise.
- namdnay 5y agothe sales tax thing is a bit silly! for the rest, the only alternative I see would be for the government to get ouf of it completely and say it's up to each seller/distributor to handle their own bottles, but I guess this would require more complicated logistics? I'm pretty sure that's what happens for glass bottles in Germany, I remember bringing back plastic crates of bottles to the brewery, and buying beer in big sturdy 50cl bottles that had obviously been refilled dozens of times already
- kebman 5y agoThat's not the point. The point is, if they get used to it, they will pay it.