← Back to context

Comment by tossandthrow

2 months ago

It is not tax "things I don't like".

It is tax things that has macro dynamic negative externalities.

And subsidize things that has positive macro dynamic externalities.

I think it's safe to say the proposition here is that advertising is something the author doesn't like, for reasons, but the same problem remains then. Now the state is profiting from it.

  • That is a fair criticism of this kind of thing in general, but in this particular case I wanted to combine the Pigovian "tax the bads" idea with the more modern idea of a feebate, which is intentionally revenue neutral (to the Government) in that the fees levied on the "bad" side of the ledger go to pay subsidies or other incentives on the "good" side of the ledger.