Girls copying their bums on
photocopiers are the stuff of TV ads, but spare a thought for the poor photocopier. As many small businesses (SMEs) know,
printers and photocopiers can be overworked and though you'd like to get newer, greener machines, cost can be a real disincentive.
Perhaps it's time for a subsidised scrappage scheme for office machines, like the one for cars. According to the BBC, some 60,000 people ordered new cars under the UK's
scrappage subsidy scheme between 22 April and 7 June.
Consumers know a good deal when they see one, says Lord Mandelson (minister for failing car companies). We all know that punters are supposed to get a 2000-pound discount on a new car if they scrap one that is at least 10 years old with an MOT. But car dealers have to pay half, and while the government is supposed to cover the rest, in fact it gets a fair whack back on the VAT and so forth.
Could such a scheme help SMEs and the environment? According to the
New Economics Foundation, despite the government's promise to tackle climate change, 'green' funding accounted for just 0.6 per cent of the recent £20bn UK stimulus package.
It is interesting that while old cars may be scrapped, many used office machines are reconditioned for secondhand sales or sold on to developing countries.
Any ideas on how a scheme like this could be set up?
