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What if we taxed advertising?

#0177: What if we taxed advertising? What if, rather than banning advertising outright, we taxed it instead? Tags: braingasm, advertising, tax, pigovian, economics, policy, attention, feebate, 2025 Photo by Jo San Diego on Unsplash [ED: This is one that I’ve been ruminating on for a while. I have a lot of thoughts about a post-advertising/post-algo-driven-feed world.

A local tradesperson listing services in a community paper differs markedly from a multi-million pound campaign pushing gambling apps or junk food. Publishers using low-ad-load, high-quality content models Platforms prioritising user wellbeing over engagement Creators monetising via subscriptions, patronage, or low-impact sponsorships Harmful ads fund a rebate pool that directly supports more ethical alternatives, shifting market incentives without relying solely on government redistribution or blunt prohibition.

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