Snippet of the menu for an (intentionally) anonymous sushi restaurant in Toronto, and all I can think is: A literal tax on happiness
It reminds me of a course I took in Economics of Public Finance, specifically on the subtopic of Pigouvian taxes — essentially a tax placed on activities that create negative costs to others: an entrepreneur may wish to build a factory next to a residential area and a whole host of ‘costs’ may arise which the firm does not pay directly, such as unpleasant fumes causing perma-smelly-backyards for nearby residents (more generally, a negative externality). To discourage or lead to a more desirable (efficient) outcome, there may be taxes levied on the factory owners, perhaps to provide residents with a lifetime supply of Febreze. I feel as if this restauranteur may view joy as a negative thing, so to offset the happiness of friends congregating to celebrate we all need to pay a $1 tax .. don’t turn that frown upside down, please.
