I started thinking about this and it didn't take me long to come up with another example of a common situation in the US where punitive fines and taxes for not doing something are much the same thing (call it what you will.) The common dog license. In most places where I have lived, dog owners are required to pay a registration or license fee for each dog. Typically a rabies vaccination is required as well.
There is, of course, a fine for failing to register the dog, and the fine is much larger than the cost of registration. However, the registration fee often has two levels. If the dog is neutered or spayed, the registration costs much less than if the dog is intact and thus presumed capable of reproducing.
The difference between the two license levels can be viewed as a "fine" for not neutering your dog (which is what it amounts to) or as a special licensing tax for a dog that can reproduce.
Another example, which actually involves insurance, is auto insurance. In most states, it is mandatory for the owner of an operable vehicle to buy liability insurance every year. But a few states allow owners who do not purchase insurance to instead pay a fee that includes them in an "uninsured motorist" pool and, in essence, covers their liabilities should they cause property damage or injury to anyone else. This is very close to what is happening with ACA.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2012-06-30 01:55 am (UTC)In most places where I have lived, dog owners are required to pay a registration or license fee for each dog. Typically a rabies vaccination is required as well.
There is, of course, a fine for failing to register the dog, and the fine is much larger than the cost of registration. However, the registration fee often has two levels. If the dog is neutered or spayed, the registration costs much less than if the dog is intact and thus presumed capable of reproducing.
The difference between the two license levels can be viewed as a "fine" for not neutering your dog (which is what it amounts to) or as a special licensing tax for a dog that can reproduce.
Another example, which actually involves insurance, is auto insurance. In most states, it is mandatory for the owner of an operable vehicle to buy liability insurance every year. But a few states allow owners who do not purchase insurance to instead pay a fee that includes them in an "uninsured motorist" pool and, in essence, covers their liabilities should they cause property damage or injury to anyone else. This is very close to what is happening with ACA.