To be fair, the average taxi user really doesn’t have any way of knowing about the 23% taxation that the IRS places on you. Also, I wouldn’t condone shady business practices by anyone – if you have to resort to that perhaps it’s time for a career change.

If you are tipping $2 as this website suggest, even for good service, you are stiffing your driver at a rate of 8% from what he or she is taxed at.

One rule of thumb on tipping should be this…how many times during a persons shift does he or she have an opportunity to earn a tip? Claiming it is fair to tip a doorman the same as a cabbie ignores the turn factor. A Hotel doorman may have the opportunity to earn a tip 30 to 50 times an hour. The same cabbie is regulated by the State at maybe 2-3 tries at a tip. What sense does it make to tip the doorman the same as a cabbie?

and people wonder why some cabbies may resort to shady practices?

If it makes “sense” to tip a bagman a $1 per bag for loading and unloading, why does this same logic not apply to a cabbie who has to unload the same bags? If there are 6 bags, why is it OK to simply tip a cabbie $2 for the unloading of the same bags AND driving you and your party to the airport? Seems to me the cabbie got stiffed $6 on the bags and a buck on the drive if you tip him a mere $2. Don’t assume we are going to look at you favorably if you ask for a five back from your $20 on a $12.50 fare.