Sliding scale fees

{{For|the science fiction novel|Sliding Scales}}

Sliding scale fees are variable prices for products, services, or taxes based on a customer's ability to pay. Such fees are thereby reduced for those who have lower incomes, or alternatively, less money to spare after their personal expenses, regardless of income.{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=C |title=The Economics of Sliding Scale Pricing |url=https://smallbusiness.chron.com/economics-sliding-scale-pricing-39273.html |website=smallbusiness.chron.com |publisher=Small Business - Chron.com |access-date=2 July 2021}} Sliding scale fees are a form of price discrimination or differential pricing.

A business or organization may have various motivations for pricing a product or service on a sliding scale. These may include the desire to be charitable to those less able to afford the product or service, their ability to get a tax deduction for offering their services as charity, their ability to benefit from the revenue even from a partial payment, their retention of a longtime customer/client, or referrals that such a customer/client may provide.

For example, healthcare providers sometimes offer a sliding scale of fees to patients.{{cite web |last1=Banton |first1=Caroline |title=Reading Into Sliding Scale Fees |url=https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sliding-scale.asp |website=Investopedia |access-date=2 July 2021 |language=en |date=21 August 2019}} Some child-adoption agencies collect legal fees (normally very expensive) on a sliding scale, so that couples across a wider range of incomes are able to adopt children.[http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/family/adoption/helpg.html Pueblo.gsa.gov]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208184153/http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/family/adoption/helpg.html |date=2008-12-08 }} Sliding-scale fees are also often charged by lawyers, places of worship, and for tuition at educational institutions.{{cite web| url= https://www.feefreeticket.com/| title= Tickets without fees }} Thursday, 24 August 2017