Morten vs. +Tax
M: How much is it?
Cashier: $29.95
M: Really?
Cashier: Well…. plus tax you know.
M: So why did you say $29.95 then?
Cashier: That’s the price before tax.
M: So the actual price is $33.65. That’s the price that should be listed.
Cashier: No, the price is $29.95.
M: Seriously, what idiot came up with the idea of listing the price before tax when everyone has to pay the after tax price anyway. It’s bordering on false advertising.
Cashier: No, the price is $29.95.
M: But I still have to pay the tax on top. So why don’t you just list the actual price instead of tricking people with this “plus tax” nonsense.
Cashier: It’s because tax is the government’s way of stealing our money.
M: Seriously? Did you go to elementary school?
Cashier: Yes. What do you mean?
M: You went to school because people like your parents paid taxes. Same reason you got your shots at the doctor’s. Same reason there’s a cop outside. Same reason the fire department comes when your house catches fire.
Cashier: What does that have to do with anything?
M: The government doesn’t “steal” your money. They use it to pay for things like education. So by not paying attention in social sciences I’d say you stole your parent’s money. Or at least wasted it. We pay taxes so that society can function. And by putting the price before tax you and everyone who sells anything in this country is implying that taxes per definition is something evil imposed on them. It’s moronic.
Cashier: The price is still $29.95
M: No, the price is $33.65. You say it’s $29.95 to make people think it’s cheaper. It’s a mean trick. And who pays over $30 for a touque anyway. Keep it.
March 1st, 2010 at 11:58 pm
This is the way it is in Australia. If you buy something on the shelf that’s listed at $9.95…you give the cashier a $10 bill and get 5 cents back……..the whole plus tax thing is soooooo crazy stupid
March 4th, 2010 at 4:00 am
Yup. That’s the way it is in pretty much every other country. Why they insist on doing it this way in Canada is beyond me. In Norway for example it’s the other way around: If you have a tax excemption for some weird reason you have to pay the full price and then get money back. Because let’s face it: Out of the millions of people who buy stuff every day, only a millicent or so actually have a tax excemption they can enact at the counter.
March 4th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Haha, awesome.
This seems to be a country specific thing, because I see prices shown with tax in some places and without in others. In England, they have that VAT thing… value-added tax. What value, exactly, is this tax adding to my consumer experience?
On a side note, I think that a consumption-based tax makes more sense than income tax. Why punish/discourage people who are trying to make more money? And tourists don’t have to pay income tax, yet they have full access to publicly funded services like the police, library, and so on.
March 4th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Michael: My problem isn’t with the tax, it’s with the stupid stupid STUPID practice of listing prices before tax. It just makes it unneccesarily complicated for consumers and also makes them spend more than they intended all the time. Listing prices before taxes is a huge disservice to the consumer and it’s something that should be shunned like the plague.