Friday 15 January 2016

Great diagonal comparison.

Via HPC Surivors, from MSN:

In April, the UK government will enforce a new fee on all home insurance customers that will require them to subsidise the insurance bills of people who continue to live in flood-risk areas.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of the new levy — which functions like a tax on home insurance sales — is that poorer people, or those who choose to live in more modest houses on drier land, will subsidise the insurance for the largest mansions in the riskiest areas near lakes and rivers.


That's typical Homey fare. On the one hand, they want subsidies for homes in flood-risk areas, but on the other hand, they want "somebody else" to pay for it. And they back up their arguments with a diagonal comparison.

You are only supposed to change one variable! For example, a fair or relevant comparison would be: "those who choose to live in modest houses on drier land will subsidise the insurance for the modest homes in the riskiest areas near lakes and rivers"

But MSN then redeems itself:

On its face [sic], this sounds completely bonkers. People should be incentivised to move out of flood zones, not given insurance protection to stay there.

Agreed.

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