The term “daylight robbery” refers to the practice of openly overcharging for goods and services. Its origin may be traced back to the 17th-century English window tax, but the first recorded use of the term was in the early 20th century. There is disagreement about what constitutes daylight robbery, but greater transparency in financial industries can help consumers be aware of risks and liabilities.
Overtly charging exorbitant prices for goods and services is occasionally referred to as daylight robbery. This is in contrast to financial practices which are less open, but still cost more. A robbery during the day is bolder and more obvious, hence the term daylight. Clearly, the use of “robbery” suggests that someone is unjustly taking possession of another person’s money.
While unconfirmed, many people trace the use of daylight robbery as an idiom to 17th-century English laws that levied a tax on windows in most residences. There was a tax per window, and as windows were very likely to occur in higher numbers in the homes of the wealthy, the tax seemed to be unfairly hitting them. Since the tax was obviously unfair, it was held up as an example of daylight robbery: an open-handed theft of money. While this idiom is often historically connected with the window tax, the origin of the term has not been proven to come from this time.
Sources trace the first recorded use of the term to the early 20th century, although it may have been popularly used much earlier. It appears in the famous play, Hobson’s Choice, which was written by British playwright Harold Brighouse in the 1910s. While the language was often used before the play, the concept of daylight robbery was a familiar one. Every instance of outright charging more than seemed fair was vilified.
Of course, there is disagreement about what constitutes daylight robbery, and that may, in part, depend on the financial perspective. Many people consider movie ticket prices and concession stands to be an open example of overcharging. Financial experts point to the regular practice of charging very high interest on services such as payday loans as another example.
People are more divided when it comes to issues like taxation. Some taxpayers are happy to pay taxes to contribute to a state, and others find all taxes to be examples of how the government has openly pocketed itself and left them with less money. Political bias sometimes influences whether people view most taxes as daylight robbery.
The benefit of the open practice of charging more is that it’s not surprising. A number of recent laws in places like the United States have sought to create greater transparency in some financial industries such as credit card industries. While pricing huge fees or being able to move to a higher default interest rate if a customer falls behind on payments isn’t pleasant, most credit card lenders now need to make it clear that they have that right. This transparency can make these practices daylight robberies, but by bringing them out of the shadows instead of hiding them behind complicated fingerprints, consumers can at least be aware of the risks and liabilities of lending money.
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