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Old 11-01-2010, 11:31 AM   #146
Rathji
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Slava View Post
I admittedly skipped a few pages here, so my apologies if I missed someone else saying this.

The point of a public service is not "supply and demand". Frankly just because they could theoretically charge $500/month for someone to park beside the LRT doesn't mean that the city should. Same argument for education, or healthcare or basically any other service that the government provides for its citizens...the goal is not profit.
If the public service needs additional funding from a specific portion of its users to fund a service that only they use, then you need to charge for that service accordingly. You can't charge the same rate a private company does in an attempt to make a profit but you need to charge enough to make administering the fee worthwhile.

This is no different than a swimming pool charging to rent water wings for your kid. Sure they are a public service, but they also need to charge enough to cover their costs and prevent abuse.
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