Lei Anti-Tabaco

Teorema de Coase, em acção:

The Netherlands has turned upside down by the smoking ban. I wonder if it was that bad in the UK as well? Here small cafes and bars join up to protest against the ban. The smokers all pay a certain amount of money when entering the pub so that the pub owner can pay the fine, but the smoking simply continues. In parliament some people start to say that the ban should be reversed, or at least be loosened for small pub owners who will go bankrupt because of it. It is madness! Dutch people never protest like this. But apparently, they hate to be told what to do. Maybe that is why we allow soft drugs as well. My guess is that we will loosen the smoking ban, that smoking will be allowed in bars smaller than an x amount of square meters. The Germans did the same, and I think it is the only way the Dutch will accept the ban in at least some places.

Uma questão, se o problema com o fumo nos estabelecimentos públicos são os empregados do restaurante, não seria melhor que esse dinheiro pago pelos fumadores fosse antes para ditos empregados, que assim eram compensados pela externalidade que sofrem por trabalhar num bar de fumo?

Nota: Não faço a mínima ideia se a história contada é verdadeira ou não. Mas, no entanto, acho uma brilhante ideia. Demonstra, mais uma vez, a beleza do mercado em funcionamento.

(via Free Exchange)