Nutella may have been created by Italians, but it is the French who really love it. The hazelnut spread is a fantastically popular accompaniment for everything from bread for breakfast to crêpes for a delicious dessert. Yet the French Senate, in its infinite wisdom, decided that Nutella should be taxed. The proposal was voted through the Senate, before being stopped by a very unlikely coalition of Communists and conservatives. The plan to impose a ‘sin tax’ on Nutella in France was obviously ludicrous; but it was also full of politics.
Sin taxes and green taxes may look like an efficient intervention on an economist’s blackboard; but they never live up to the wide-eyed optimism of enthusiastic technocrats. They always end in an ugly political stitch-up. The logic behind all of these taxes is that markets don’t work efficiently. The thinking is that some people simply can’t be trusted to make decisions; they eat, drink, smoke or drive too much, so you, the legislator, need to set them straight.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in