May 05 2008
Drown the Drink Tax
There’s been much controversy surrounding the Pittsburgh drink tax, and I’m sure you’ve already heard all about it.
I don’t drink very much - it typically takes me a year to go through a case of imported dark beer, I don’t go to bars, and I rarely order a drink when eating out.
Be that as it may, I don’t support this tax – it’s yet another burden to consumers and businesses.
And some people wonder why Allegheny County is losing its population.
The drink tax raises a larger issue. Government will do whatever it takes to continue its growth, and in doing so will always find ways to spend lots of other people’s money. They do this by creating new taxes and/or raising the taxes that are already in place.
I’m a believer in privatization. Government costs could be slashed by turning over businesses and services to people who know how to run businesses and services.
Look at the condition of many of our schools, our roads, our public transportation system, and other government-provided services. It’s not exactly impressive.
One of the problems is that lumbering government bureaucracy needlessly eats up huge chunks of money and is therefore inefficient. The other problem is that governments are not designed to function as businesses.
Some believe that if services are privatized, prices will rise, there will be less oversight, and much price-gouging. I don’t agree.
When you allow the free market to function without interference, you get “survival of the fittest.” The general population is competent enough to figure out what is working and what is not. If a business is not providing the standard of goods or services that consumers expect, they will go elsewhere. This is enough incentive for private industry to provide acceptable standards of quality and service in order to remain in business.
To me, it’s just common sense.
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