Socialism in NYC and Death Care

November 12, 2025/Business, Cemetery, Cremation/

The election of Democrat Socialist Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of the city that many refer to as the “World’s Financial Center” has brought about questions on what might change. Most of those questions deal with financial issues such as taxes and benefits.

From the perspective of Death Care and funerals my thought process goes to what would a world of increased public benefits for individuals mean to the Death Care business world? When one looks around the world, in almost all instances the responsibility for paying for the Death Care services of loved ones falls on the individual and family and not on the public sector.

However, in almost all of those same countries, including the United States, those individuals or families without the financial means to pay these expenses can apply for public benefits to help them do so. And, virtually every municipality or state has some type of reasonable benefit to help.

One country that is very interesting, and probably goes against the grain on this situation is Sweden. In Sweden, according to this article, every one registered and paying taxes pays a mandatory burial fee each year through their taxes. Upon death, they are then entitled to state paid expenses for the following:

A burial plot for 25 years
Burial and/or cremation
Certain transports of the coffin
Premises for safekeeping and viewing of remains
Premises for a funeral ceremony with no religious symbols

According to the same article, here are the expenses that a family may also choose but are not covered by this benefit:

Coffin and dressing the deceased person
Decorations and flowers
Obituary notices
Transportation of the coffin to the viewing room (premises for safekeeping and viewing)
Funeral ceremony
Pallbearers
Memorial service
Headstone
Grave maintenance

Other Municipality Public Services in Death Care — Historically in the United States there is acknowledged acceptance of city non-profit cemeteries that dates back centuries. Public grounds were granted, for the public good, for the use of cemetery burials in communities. Most of these cemeteries have been and continue to be non-profit or break-even enterprises for the municipality and were proffered as a service to citizens of the community. In this regard, these cemeteries did not compete with funeral homes as they were established in communities and actually allowed funeral homes to further their own profit-driven enterprises by allowing burial vaults to be sold by the funeral homes and delivered to these cemeteries.

Similarly, crematories in the United Kingdom have been operated by municipalities for the benefit of their citizens over the years. Funeral providers in Great Britain provided Death Care services to families and then brought the remains to a public crematory for a service and cremation. Much like non-profit cemeteries in the United States, these crematories proffered their services for the public good and did not compete with funeral homes for the professional services to families. . . . .allowing the profit-driven funeral homes the ability to offer merchandise such as coffins to these consumers.

Will that change and will municipalities become competitors?? — Just this week from an article I learned that in Great Britain “Lewisham Council has launched new affordable and dignified options for residents arranging funerals or cremations for their loved ones, helping to ease financial pressures during the ongoing cost of living crisis”.

Up until now, it appears that Lewisham has offered a crematory service to area funeral providers as mentioned above. However, it now appears that the council will be offering “full service” cremations direct-to-the-consumer in an effort to save their residents money over what they seem to deem as too high of prices by private funeral directors. Here’s the announcement from the Lewisham Council announcing this service. Part of what is listed on that page is this announcement:

With the average cost of a full cremation service via a funeral director now approaching £4,000 (US$ 5,245), many families are finding traditional funeral costs increasingly difficult to manage. In response, Lewisham Council is offering a Simple Cremation Package at a fixed fee of £1,507 (US$ 1,974), providing a respectful, straightforward, and low-cost alternative.

The Simple Cremation Package includes the collection and care of the deceased, completion of statutory medical paperwork, the cremation itself, and the provision of an environmentally friendly coffin suitable for cremation. The package provides all the essential elements for a dignified farewell without the additional costs often associated with traditional services.

While the package does not include the use of the cremation chapel for a formal service, families who wish to hold a memorial event can add use of the chapel from just £147 (US$ 192).

Related — To learn more about the United States Social Security Lump Sum Death Benefit history click here.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take: Much like the idea of grocery stores being operated by municipalities I think the idea of full-service funeral and cremation providers being offered by municipalities is just as bad an idea. I’m a “free enterprise” person and have had an experience in operating in a “public sector” enterprise as a board member of a major land-grant university (University of Minnesota). While there may be a place and public-purpose for “public enterprise’ where a private source cannot operate, I don’t think funeral homes and crematories fit into that caegory of necessity.

Even university education enterprises can be done less expensively in a private setting — although the idea of public education is an American ideal and there is a necessity for public research universities. However, in my world, free enterprise and the quest for a system that can build profits for the risk takers will almost always bring on efficiencies that reduces costs for all.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Lewisham and if the discounted services prove to be a savings for municipality residents or, over time, will the Lewisham Council have to raise their prices or operate their services to their citizens at a loss — funded by community tax revenues and bringing on a “growth in government”.

More news from the world of Death Care: