5 ms·

I don't know why cities don't offer a tax break to businesses to make their bathrooms publicly available. Make it enough that they can hire an extra employee to

by imgabe 4y ago

I don't know why cities don't offer a tax break to businesses to make their bathrooms publicly available. Make it enough that they can hire an extra employee to make sure there's someone to check the bathroom periodically and do some random checks to make sure businesses aren't cheating. It would have to be cheaper than operating separate public bathrooms. I live in Hong Kong and am still a little amazed at the ubiquitous, free, clean public restrooms. They're not luxurious usually, but they're available and never a disaster. As far as I can tell, the city employs a pretty large staff to check and clean them throughout the day. But then there's also no massive homeless and drug problem like there is in the US.

hot_gril 4y ago
> But then there's also no massive homeless and drug problem like there is in the US. Well that's the key. Go somewhere without that problem in the US, and every amenity is easy to find. In some places, you can visit a stranger's house and ask to use the toilet, which I've seen before.
hugh-avherald 4y ago
Why is a tax break the mechanism you suggest?
- imgabe 4y ago
  Because it's a service the business is performing for the public and they should be compensated for it. It also makes it easier to opt out and reduces the regulatory burden, which benefits small business. McDonald's and Starbucks etc. will have no problem figuring out how to qualify for the tax break and jump through the hoops to get it. Then the city gets hundreds of new public bathrooms that they don't have to maintain for minimal cost. A small mom and pop bodega or flower shop or whatever that barely makes a profit might decide it's not worth it. If it's a requirement, that business just ceases to exist and the city is deprived of it. If it's optional, they can still operate, and the city doesn't end up a homogeneous wasteland of corporate brands. They just don't get a tax break, but if they're not making much money, they probably aren't paying much tax anyway.
Johnythree 4y ago
Better still, make providing a public bathroom a condition of opening a business.
- rightbyte 4y ago
  Atleast if they sell food. Dunno how e.g. a Subway restaurant can get away with having no bathroom.
  - jstarfish 4y ago
    Prospective users would have to traverse a food-prep area to access the bathroom, which is a no-go in many municipalities. And probably for the best.
- tedmiston 4y ago
  Why would (should) a private business owner be required to provide a public service to their non-customers?
dtonon 4y ago
> or trying to find a coffee shop that will let you use its restroom In Italy all the public business like coffee shops ("bars") have to let free access to the toilet by law, even if you don't buy anything.
- arlort 4y ago
  This is actually not true, or rather, it varies by municipality. The national law applies only to customers
pydry 4y ago
Hong Kong also has lots of cheap labor.

by imgabe 4y ago

hot_gril 4y ago

> But then there's also no massive homeless and drug problem like there is in the US. Well that's the key. Go somewhere without that problem in the US, and every amenity is easy to find. In some places, you can visit a stranger's house and ask to use the toilet, which I've seen before.

hugh-avherald 4y ago

Why is a tax break the mechanism you suggest?

imgabe 4y ago
Because it's a service the business is performing for the public and they should be compensated for it. It also makes it easier to opt out and reduces the regulatory burden, which benefits small business. McDonald's and Starbucks etc. will have no problem figuring out how to qualify for the tax break and jump through the hoops to get it. Then the city gets hundreds of new public bathrooms that they don't have to maintain for minimal cost. A small mom and pop bodega or flower shop or whatever that barely makes a profit might decide it's not worth it. If it's a requirement, that business just ceases to exist and the city is deprived of it. If it's optional, they can still operate, and the city doesn't end up a homogeneous wasteland of corporate brands. They just don't get a tax break, but if they're not making much money, they probably aren't paying much tax anyway.

Johnythree 4y ago

Better still, make providing a public bathroom a condition of opening a business.

rightbyte 4y ago
Atleast if they sell food. Dunno how e.g. a Subway restaurant can get away with having no bathroom.
- jstarfish 4y ago
  Prospective users would have to traverse a food-prep area to access the bathroom, which is a no-go in many municipalities. And probably for the best.
tedmiston 4y ago
Why would (should) a private business owner be required to provide a public service to their non-customers?

dtonon 4y ago

> or trying to find a coffee shop that will let you use its restroom In Italy all the public business like coffee shops ("bars") have to let free access to the toilet by law, even if you don't buy anything.

arlort 4y ago
This is actually not true, or rather, it varies by municipality. The national law applies only to customers

pydry 4y ago

Hong Kong also has lots of cheap labor.