Final answer:
People can incur costs indirectly through things like taxes and regulations that are built into the price of goods and services. Examples include taxes on alcohol and regulations for a cleaner environment or safer workplace, which can increase costs for businesses and consequently prices for consumers.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is possible to bear a cost without realizing it through indirect costs such as taxes that support public services, which are not always directly observed by consumers. For instance, certain government policies can lead to increased costs for businesses, resulting in higher prices for goods and services or reduced supply without consumers directly attributing these changes to the policies.
One example is the tax on alcoholic beverages in the U.S., which generates significant revenue but also represents an added cost for producers, indirectly affecting consumers. Other examples include regulations that mandate a cleaner environment or a safer workplace, which increase operational costs for businesses. These costs are then often passed to consumers in the form of higher prices, which they pay without necessarily being aware of the regulation that caused the increase.