Does your restaurant bill include a sneaky "carbon-free fee"?

Do you hate it when sneaky charges for bread, water, or service fees, are added to your restaurant bill?

If so, you might want to avoid eating at establishments in London owned by the Noble Inn group.

Noble Inn gastro pubs add a "discretionary" carbon-free fee to customers' bills. Meaning you have to ask for it to be removed.

London newspaper Metro this weekend posted a story about customers unhappy with the extra charge, reporting the fee was added to the total meal price at The Pig and Whistle in trendy Islington.

Commenters described the charge as ‘stupid and sneaky,’ ‘a load of b******s,’ and a ‘total scam’.

Noble Inns, The Pig and Butcher’s parent company, told Metro that all tables (regardless of guest numbers or total spend) are asked to give a flat £1.23 to either of the two corporate social responsibility projects it supports; GiftTrees and Street Smart.

This allows diners to "offset the environmental impact of their meal" by putting money towards trees being planted in the developing world, or helping the homeless.

Which is all very laudable, but maybe diners should be asked first before being hit by the charge?

"It’s ridiculous that some restaurants are now charging diners for carbon offsetting schemes," customer service consultant Jane Hawkes told Metro.

"These kinds of extra charges are becoming increasingly common and can be incredibly confusing for customers. Whether it’s a ‘carbon free’ dining fee, an automatic service charge or a sustainability levy, the result is the same; the final bill is higher than expected."

Japan to crack down on medical fee dodgers

If you have an outstanding medical bill in Japan you might be refused entry next time you try to get back into the country.

Japan plans to deny entry to foreign tourists who have not settled medical bills during previous visits to Japan.

A cabinet meeting last week drew up a new policy to crack down on unpaid medical fees for visiting tourists and also unpaid health care premiums for foreign workers and foreign exchange students.

Foreign tourists who outstanding medical fees will be denied entry, travel news hub Travel Mole reports.

The government also plans to reject visa extensions for foreigners working in Japan who have not paid national healthcare premiums.

There are no specific details on how the rules will be implemented.

“If our current systems are unable to address the realities of globalisation and fail to dispel public anxiety, then drastic reforms must be undertaken,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said.

“We will make sure to consider the rights of foreign nationals are ensured and provide necessary support so they won’t be isolated in our country.

“But we will take strict measures for those who don’t follow the rules.”

Companies that employ foreign workers and don’t pay the required social insurance premiums will also be penalised.

This includes tourism related businesses.

Foreign nationals who live and work in Japan at least three months are required to join the national health care program.

Foreign exchange students must also join the national healthcare program.

Image: PJ Endrinal, Scop.io