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Some readers aren’t going to like this, but the so-called pink tax reflects economics not gender bias.

Sorry, but sometimes the truth is hard.

The idea of a pink tax is that products aimed at women are priced higher than similar ones aimed at men. The reaction by some has been a series of screeds attacking corporate America as the home of a bunch of evil misogynists.

Their arguments are often like skimpy clothing: Short on substance.

While there may be women-haters in the halls of big business, the evidence regarding the pink tax just isn’t there. In fact, if anything, economics explains any price differences far more easily than bias.

Same economic principles, different circumstances

Men and women buy things in different ways and that changes how retailers price things. The examples often used are with razors or deodorant, but I think clothing retailers provide another useful example.

It’s fair to say that few clothiers ever get rich catering solely to men. The big money to be made is in catering to women’s fashion, and in general women demand more choice. Most men on the other hand will buy the same product year after year after year. That’s true for me and many of my male friends. I learned a lot about these differences a few years ago when talking with Angela Ahrendts, who was then the CEO of luxury fashion house Burberry.

Successful retailers respond with more items for women to choose from.

The result of these gender differences in shopping habits is that the floor space devoted to apparel aimed at women far outstrips that aimed at men. Here are some key points:

• Retail floor space costs a lot, especially in high traffic areas.
• Who pays for the extra floorspace dedicated to the women’s apparel? Ultimately the customers do. Because the business has to make a profit over and above the costs of operating.
• Retailers who carry more women’s clothes in inventory will require more working capital.
• Who pays for the extra working capital? Ultimately, the customers do.
• Then there is also more inventory management needed for those extra products. People need to be paid to do that job.
• Who pays for the extra costs? Ultimately, the customers.

You get the idea.

It’s not just women’s apparel. I’m always shocked that wide-fitting mens shoes cost a lot more than do those with a medium fit. The fact is that fewer wide shoes are sold, so to make enough money to carry them retailers need to charge more. In the end, I’d rather pay more for shoes that fit.

At the other end of the scale, take Henry Ford. He is famous for saying his cars were available in any color as long as it was black. That wasn’t aimed at restricting choice so much as in keeping costs down. More choices cost more, even if it’s just the paint color. So he went with one color and kept the price low.

That’s all it is — simple economics.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/simonconstable/2016/07/07/pink-tax-accusations-are-short-on-substance/2/#719224e632eb

Troy Lanigan and Eudes Baufreton, along with Benoite Taffin, had a great meeting in Paris recently! Good conversation, sound planning, and idea sharing all in the City of Lights – wish I could’ve been there 🙂

When there is a massive humanitarian crisis in Syria, the World Health Organization (WHO) has decided that it needs to push for plain packaging in Syria! Out of touch can they be?!

Check out this piece in The Spectator written by Christopher Snowdon of the Institute for Economic Affairs in the UK.

The UN’s warning to Syrian smokers is beyond parody

It was a real pleasure last week at the Atlas Liberty Forum in London to meet Maryan Zablotskyy in London from the Ukraine, who has established the group, the Ukrainian Economic Freedoms Foundation – http://www.en.ueff.org/.

They are already issuing reforms, monitoring government spending, and winning battles. Find in the document here, UEFF PROJECTS, for their goals and focus for the year. We are happy to have them join the WTA as our newest member!

· A Vision United – research proves that 78% of people give to a compelling vision. Vision unites an organization.

· Collect information – information about your donors plays a major role in success with your donor database. It needs to be part of the expected climate in your office to collect information about your donors. Start with basic information and continue adding to the database as you learn more about their hobbies, children, interests and passions.

· Contact Major Donors – make contact with any donor who has given $1,000 or more to your organization in the past three years. Building relationships with these people will help you find donors that can support your organization at a greater level.

· Online Tools – sometimes we just don’t have enough time to see every possible donor. We need a tool to prioritize our cultivation efforts. A tool that scans databases could be a catalyst for moving your major gift program forward.

I am happy to announce that Spain now has a taxpayer protection group: Unión de Contribuyentes! They are the WTA’s newest member. Run by Juan Pina, Secretary-General, and Civismo’s Cristina Berecht, Director General. Their partnership originated after meeting at the WTA Conference in Berlin! Check out their website here!

The Property Rights Alliance (PRA), run by Lorenzo Montanari, has launched a new video to contrast the World Health Organization’s World No Tobacco Day on May 31st. The World Health Organization advocates for plain packaging or removing logos, colors, brands, and trademarks from containers.  PRA recognizes this as an attack on intellectual property rights which are fundamental to a free economy.

Tax Freedom Day is a measure of when Britons stop paying tax and start putting their earnings into their own pocket. In 2016, every penny the average person earned for working up to and including June 2nd went to the taxman—from June 3rd onwards they are paying themselves.

http://www.adamsmith.org/taxfreedomday

Tim Andrews, Executive Director of the Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance, does an excellent job here in a piece for the Svensk Tidskrift (Sweden) defending property rights, the threats it faces from government, and its effects on the taxpayer.

In a country, far, far away, tobacco is just the beginning

The government going down the slippery slope in Ireland…

Eleven European countries have raised objections at EU level about Ireland’s plans for health warnings on alcohol products.

Under the Public Health Alcohol Bill, all alcoholic drinks will carry warnings as well as total alcohol and calorie content.

The legislation is currently at second stage in the Seanad where it was first introduced on Dec 17, 2015.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/11-european-countries-object-to-irelands-plan-for-health-warnings-on-alcohol-products-737570.html