New Report Says That Shoppers Should Pay 1p To Use Self Checkouts

It's now harder than ever to visit a supermarket without using a self checkout, which makes your weekly grocery shop quicker than ever (when the tills are working, that is).

But it also means it's easy to go entire days without speaking to a soul - something that can lead to a great deal of loneliness for older people.

Now, MPs have suggested tackling the issue by imposing a 1p charge on self-checkout tills which could both encourage shoppers to interact with cashiers instead, and help fund valuable community projects.

A parliamentary panel on social integration chaired by Streatham MP Chuka Umunna has suggested imposing the tax on self checkout machines as an incentive to speak to a cashier, the Telegraph reports.

The charge would apparently be to "to counteract potential damage caused by a lack of everyday contact between people" and could raise £30m to be spent on projects that "promote social inclusion".

Umunna said: "We all know that Brexit has been incredibly divisive but what we have seen over the course of this inquiry suggests that generational division extends far beyond the realm of politics into our daily lives", but Tom Ironside of the British Retail Consortium disagreed.

He said: "A new tax, particularly one that penalises modern shopping behaviour, will harm both consumers and retailers at a time when retailers are rightly focused on delivering the best value for shoppers".

The report, entitled Healing the Generational Divide, also put forward an idea for a tax break for people who commit to a number of hours volunteering a week.

Umunna added: "Now, more than ever, we need to act to bring our country back together and move forward as one."

Another member of the group, Bath MP Wera Hobhouse, added: "What we need to find are ways forward to improve relationships between young and old, and this interim report offers some interesting ideas in how we can do that."

The report included a range of suggestions for integration, like a "Take Your Headphones Off Day" on TfL to encourage people from different generations to talk.

Featured Image Credit: Credit: PA images

Topics: News

Marianne Eloise

Marianne writes about TV, film and internet culture for Nylon, VICE, The Guardian, Vulture, Time Out and more. She was previously a staff writer at Dazed.