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“No tax on tips” is an industry plant

newyorker.com

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Re: “No tax on tips” is an industry plant

#81

Post by ecb_penguin »

oellegaard wrote: post #71

It’s crazy that this still happens in the US. Tipping is a thing of the past. Pay for your meal and have the restaurant pay their people for their work. End of story.

> Pay for your meal

Not sure you know what tipping is, but it's not paying for the meal. It's paying for the service.

1. I like being able to pay for better service

2. Despite what people like to think, everywhere in the world has appreciated tips. I've never had a waiter refuse extra money. Literally dozens of countries, you get better service if you tip.

Re: “No tax on tips” is an industry plant

#82

Post by frollogaston »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #40
garciasn wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have an honest question: what's the cash vs card tip ratio? 99.999% of the time I am not carrying cash and I don't see many (any?) people paying with cash ANYWHERE in the last 10+ years.

At this point you are litterally a sucker to pay for anything in cash, because everything is marked-up to cover CC fees, which you get a portion of back in the form of rewards. Yes, I know some places give cash discounts. Most do not.

Not everything is marked up to cover CC fees, and any time there's a CC surcharge, it's more than the points you get. That and the tip is separate.

Re: “No tax on tips” is an industry plant

#83

Post by 9rx »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #33
Larrikin wrote: post #29

Don't forget to reduce your tips by the percentage they were previously being taxed, since it is all charity anyway. Hopefully this becomes another straw that will eventually break the camels back and we get rid of tipping all together. Every restaurant in the world does not need tips to survive, except for the ones in the US.

Tips subsidize profits, plain and simple. But, America runs on poverty, so this is in line with the broader socioeconomic strategy.

> Tips subsidize profits, plain and simple.

Nah. Profitability for the business would be higher without tips. I take x% of gross income as profit. No tips means I can charge the customer more, which means a higher gross income, which means more profit. When tipping is involved, the money slips through without allowing the business to take its cut. Good for the server, but not good for the business.

However, as theoretically great as it sounds, you are ultimately beholden to what the customer wants. There is good reason why every restaurant that has tried a "no tips" policy has failed. Nobody shows up to dine. They go somewhere else where they can tip instead. Regular people actually enjoy tipping, as hard as it may be to believe for those who are staring at screens rather than enjoying the ambiance of a restaurant.

Re: “No tax on tips” is an industry plant

#84

Post by ecb_penguin »

bapak wrote: post #74
oellegaard wrote: post #71

It’s crazy that this still happens in the US. Tipping is a thing of the past. Pay for your meal and have the restaurant pay their people for their work. End of story.

The crazier part is that it's spreading to more industries and more countries thanks to Americans thinking they should tip everyone everywhere. Thanks.

Yep. It's wonderful throwing a few extra bucks to some euro waiter and watching them treat you better than everyone else.

Re: “No tax on tips” is an industry plant

#85

Post by ecb_penguin »

frollogaston wrote: post #76
efitz wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s very little empirical evidence correlating tipping with better service.

No, they're definitely more attentive for the tip, I just don't like it. If they're going to be extra nice, I don't want it to be for money. Felt nice going to other countries like Australia where the customer isn't always right but they still do their jobs.

Bud, literally nobody gives a shit about waiting on you. They are literally only doing it for the money.

People in Australia are still doing it for the money, even if you don't realize it.

Re: “No tax on tips” is an industry plant

#86

Post by beAbU »

ecb_penguin wrote: post #81
oellegaard wrote: post #71

It’s crazy that this still happens in the US. Tipping is a thing of the past. Pay for your meal and have the restaurant pay their people for their work. End of story.

> Pay for your meal Not sure you know what tipping is, but it's not paying for the meal. It's paying for the service. 1. I like being able to pay for better service 2. Despite what people like to think, everywhere in the world has appreciated tips. I've never had a waiter refuse extra money. Literally dozens of countries, you get better service if you tip.

The tip is usually given at the end of the service. How does that ensure a better experience during?

Re: “No tax on tips” is an industry plant

#87

Post by ghiculescu »

ecb_penguin wrote: post #85
frollogaston wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, they're definitely more attentive for the tip, I just don't like it. If they're going to be extra nice, I don't want it to be for money. Felt nice going to other countries like Australia where the customer isn't always right but they still do their jobs.

Bud, literally nobody gives a shit about waiting on you. They are literally only doing it for the money. People in Australia are still doing it for the money, even if you don't realize it.

As an Australian who lived in America for 5 years - it’s bonkers to claim the service is better (or even as good) in Aus. It’s clearly more attentive in the states, anyone who says otherwise has an agenda.

Sometimes you don’t want good service - as in, you don’t want a server to talk to you. That’s a lot easier to find here.

Re: “No tax on tips” is an industry plant

#88

Post by [deleted] »

ecb_penguin wrote: post #85
frollogaston wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, they're definitely more attentive for the tip, I just don't like it. If they're going to be extra nice, I don't want it to be for money. Felt nice going to other countries like Australia where the customer isn't always right but they still do their jobs.

Bud, literally nobody gives a shit about waiting on you. They are literally only doing it for the money. People in Australia are still doing it for the money, even if you don't realize it.

[deleted]

Re: “No tax on tips” is an industry plant

#89

Post by frollogaston »

ghiculescu wrote: post #87
ecb_penguin wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bud, literally nobody gives a shit about waiting on you. They are literally only doing it for the money. People in Australia are still doing it for the money, even if you don't realize it.

As an Australian who lived in America for 5 years - it’s bonkers to claim the service is better (or even as good) in Aus. It’s clearly more attentive in the states, anyone who says otherwise has an agenda. Sometimes you don’t want good service - as in, you don’t want a server to talk to you. That’s a lot easier to find here.

Yeah, this exactly matches my experience visiting Sydney from the US, it was great. I'm not antisocial, in fact I enjoy talking to strangers, but it feels very wrong to pay them for it.

Re: “No tax on tips” is an industry plant

#90

Post by photios »

I don't like tipping as much as the next guy, but this isn't about that. It's about government overreach and privacy.

Governments tracking small transactions like tips and taxing them should bother everyone. That rag, the New Yorker, knows that of course.

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