The Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company is a local diner on the West Side of Vancouver that has made supporting green initiatives a “part of the values of the company.” The company operates around environmentally friendly practices such as buying “local, organic and carbon-neutral products wherever possible.” Customers are also given the option to pay an extra 1% carbon fee that is added onto their bill. The ethical issue, however, is that the carbon tax is automatically charged to the customers, who must specifically request to void the fee. This is referred to as negative option billing. This practice has already been made illegal across several industries throughout Canada. For example, in 1999, the federal government passed legislation forbidding cable companies from implementing negative option billing for additional services. While it is not illegal for Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company to automatically charge a carbon fee on every purchase, it begs the question of whether or not it is ethical to force customers to opt out, even if it is a small amount for a good cause.
Article:
http://www.vancouversun.com/mobile/opinion/editorial/Shouldn+consumers+asked+before+they+charged+even+good+cause/7233361/story.html
I thinks it’s agreeable to pay the extra fee.But the fee should be optional for customers not mandatory!