Selective licensing? If I were a criminal…

Hello everyone, If I were a criminal I would run a protection racket as a source of funds. It produces a steady income stream with little risk of being caught and requires less actual violence than, for example, robbery or drug dealing.

Local businesses would agree to pay my ‘insurance premium’ and in return I would not bother them. They’d find it cheaper to pay the charge than risk suffering the catastrophic consequences of not complying.

The majority of businesses would pay even if it reduces their viability: okay, there might be some ongoing collateral damage but that’s not my problem. Of course, ‘pour encourager les autres’, it would be necessary from time to time actually to destroy the business of those who are foolish enough to fail to pay.

However, because of the built-in incentive to fall into line, this is not a sanction one would have to apply often and therefore it is an enterprise that involves very little work. The downside is that, however well you implement it, a protection racket is always illegal.

If I were a council I would run a selective licensing scheme as a source of funds. It produces a steady income stream with little risk of generating adverse publicity or being taken to court.

Local landlords would agree to pay my ‘administrative charge’ and in return I would not bother them. They’d find it cheaper to pay the charge than risk suffering the catastrophic consequences of not complying.

The majority of landlords would pay even if it reduces their viability: okay, there might be some ongoing collateral damage but that’s not my problem. Of course, ‘pour encourager les autres’, it would be necessary from time to time actually to destroy the business of those who are foolish enough to fail to pay.

However, because of the built-in incentive to fall into line, this is not a sanction one would have to apply often and therefore it is an enterprise that involves very little work. The upside is that, so long as it is implemented properly, a selective licensing scheme is perfectly legal!

Steve