The Ten-Centimetre Fork

r@raphaelbauer.com (Raphael Bauer) — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 20:30:00 +0200

In Potsdam the length of a disposable fork is now a tax question. Since Thursday the city has charged 20 cents on every piece or set of disposable cutlery handed out with food. Section 2 of its official guide says the charge applies to cutlery “ab einer Länge von 10 cm” (from a length of ten centimetres). Section 18 of the same guide exempts small pieces “soweit sie höchstens 10 cm groß sind” (provided they measure ten centimetres at most)¹. A fork of exactly ten centimetres is taxed in one section and exempt in the other. The guide has an answer of sorts: it makes no claim to be complete, and “Änderungen in der Handhabung bleiben daher vorbehalten” (changes in how the rules are applied are therefore reserved).

Tax on The Prosperitist

The Ten-Centimetre Fork