Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Is 'No tax on tips' a distraction from the fight to end sub-minimum wages?

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–190 of 228 posts

Re: Is 'No tax on tips' a distraction from the fight to end sub-minimum wages?

#181

Post by websap »

princevegeta89 wrote: post #52
websap wrote: post #47

We're moving to a world that most restaurants won't have servers taking your food and drinks order. This is already happening in Seattle, multiple spots are now counter style ordering, you order, get a number and someone just comes from the kitchen to deliver the food. Some of them also have a QR code associated with your number which you can scan to order follow up items. Tipping more than 10% for counter style orde…

If you ask me, tipping more than 0% for counter style ordering where there is no dedicated waiter involved makes no sense. Even worse are the coffee shops - if you think getting a coffee is just a few bucks and is relatively cheap, note that you get robbed when you end up tipping. $1 or more tip on a $5 coffee. And there is nothing special you get, the baristas are just doing their basic job. Also the looks you get w…

Same going to a coffee shop is now a luxury reserved only for vacations, or if I want to meet someone outside home.

Starbucks has become my goto, because of their app, ubiquity, and consistency. Coffee culture, similar to wine culture is blown out of proportion. I drink an Americano and Starbucks is just fine.

Re: Is 'No tax on tips' a distraction from the fight to end sub-minimum wages?

#182

Post by slater »

carlosjobim wrote: post #107
more_corn wrote: post #2

How about no tax on people below the poverty line? When I was young it always killed me to make so little and still pay taxes.

I always found it strange that modern socialists and leftists are very supportive of income taxes, even though it is a dreadful burden on those people who have to work for their survival. Why wouldn't leftists instead be more for taxes and tariffs on land, on commerce, on natural resources or on luxuries? The funny thing is that one of the goals of the communist party in the Soviet Union was to abolish all income tax…

> I always found it strange that modern socialists and leftists are very supportive of income taxes, even though it is a dreadful burden on those people who have to work for their survival

What? We did "trickle-down" economics before. Surprisingly enough, it didn't work. At all.

Also, back in the 1950s/60s, we thoroughly soaked the rich and got to go to the moon[0]. Then the 1970s came around and the new gen of wealthies were all "yeah nah, that sucked, let's do something about it!"[1]

[0] in b4 "it's way more complicated than that!!1~"

[1] https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/

Re: Is 'No tax on tips' a distraction from the fight to end sub-minimum wages?

#183

Post by bcrosby95 »

HarHarVeryFunny wrote: post #94

The tipping culture in the US has got totally out of control over last 3-4 years. I'm more than fine tipping low waged people who provide an actual service like wait staff and barbers, but the ubiquitous payment terminals taking over for credit card payment, where the cashier/counter staff expect a 10/15/20% or more tip (some now have 20% as the minimum, unless you go "custom") for doing nothing, piss me off! What ne…

People got generous during COVID and businesses are trying to take advantage of that and extend it to beyond COVID.

During COVID I would tip my normal sitdown restaurant amount for takeout. But not anymore.

Re: Is 'No tax on tips' a distraction from the fight to end sub-minimum wages?

#184

Post by nitwit005 »

margalabargala wrote: post #176
nitwit005 wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stop using the term "tipping culture". It's not as if people spontaniously decided they wanted to tip more. What you're upset at is good old fashioned corporate greed.

Much as I hate corporate greed, I actually disagree with this one. By and large, huge corporations tend to know that tip prompts annoy people and don't have them. An overwhelming majority of the egregious tip asks, either for generic not-normally-tipped services, or prompting "25%, 35%, or 45%?", have been small businesses or food carts, especially in tourist-heavy areas. Corporate greed isn't really part of it, beca…

I didn't say huge corporations. Small companies are not somehow immune.

Higher tips for workers absolutely makes its way to shareholders or owners, just not directly. They don't need to pay workers as much, and they will see lower staff turnover.

Re: Is 'No tax on tips' a distraction from the fight to end sub-minimum wages?

#185

Post by rapht »

laweijfmvo wrote: post #112
HarHarVeryFunny wrote: post #94

The tipping culture in the US has got totally out of control over last 3-4 years. I'm more than fine tipping low waged people who provide an actual service like wait staff and barbers, but the ubiquitous payment terminals taking over for credit card payment, where the cashier/counter staff expect a 10/15/20% or more tip (some now have 20% as the minimum, unless you go "custom") for doing nothing, piss me off! What ne…

why would you tip a barber? because they cut your hair good? what was the base payment for then?

> why would you tip a barber? because they cut your hair good? what was the base payment for then?

Let me return the question: why would you tip a waiter? because they brought your food to your table? isn't that why they should be paid by the restaurant?

Let me also state that, residing in a European city, I do tip my (cheap) barber every time I go because I feel they do an outstanding job at 20% less the price than most competitors, and that work deserves praise in the form of a tip.

In general, it seems to me that a tip should reflect something outstanding. In addition to my cheap barber, I also usually tip at fancy restaurants where the service has proved very, very high above comparables.

Re: Is 'No tax on tips' a distraction from the fight to end sub-minimum wages?

#186

Post by settsu »

throaway827 wrote: post #174
settsu wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never worked full-time since I was 16 but never a job where tipping was the norm (I'm in the US) so maybe I'm missing something obvious but isn't a stable income preferable? And where is the assumption coming from that doing away with tips invariably requires making less money?

in high-tip jobs, you can count on the tips to be stable virtually every night

That seems like a highly presumptive gamble. And, as referenced elsewhere, it isn't the right argument against pushing for progress in pay equity.

I'll admit up front that I'm simply not going to see eye-to-eye with anyone who thinks a system is acceptable or sustainable that requires subjugation of many for income maximization for a very few. There's FAR too much capital in play for me to feel bad at slightly less comfort for some if it means drastic reduction in suffering for so many.

Re: Is 'No tax on tips' a distraction from the fight to end sub-minimum wages?

#188

Post by r14c »

HarHarVeryFunny wrote: post #135
laweijfmvo wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why would you tip a barber? because they cut your hair good? what was the base payment for then?

I guess some of it is cultural rather than rational, but is tipping wait staff so much different? If you go to an expensive restaurant and pay double for the same food as in a cheaper one, then what exactly are you paying for, and in any case why is the tip a percentage (vs fixed amount, as is normal in the UK) such that the wait staff in the more expensive place get more? Whether rational or not, I'm personally fine…

2nd order corporate greed via jacking up the prices on everything and pocketing the profits, leaves everyone lacking, asking for tips imo is just trying to make up the difference without having to follow the Lordship's move.

Re: Is 'No tax on tips' a distraction from the fight to end sub-minimum wages?

#189

Post by Simulacra »

It's a distraction from the issue of ending tips entirely. They are not sufficient to live on, creates tension and animosity between service employees and consumers, and lets businesses off the hook from paying an actual wage. Tipping needs to die.

Re: Is 'No tax on tips' a distraction from the fight to end sub-minimum wages?

#190

Post by Simulacra »

bcrosby95 wrote: post #32

I dislike this proposal. Just like I'm not a fan of $20/hour minimum wage for fast food in California. I don't see why we should hold service workers that get tips, and in California's case, those that work at fast food, above other wage earners. It feels degenerate that the government is signalling to us that we should e.g. work in fast food and as a waiter over preschools and child care.

Well, for one the SEIU is a significant political voting bloc that no politician or business wants to cross
Post reply on HN