Tipping may not be a good system, whether its done in America, Europe, or Asia. In fact, in many of these countries tipping is not a part of the national culture.
In countries where gratuities are the norm, some employers pay workers with the expectation that their wages will be supplemented by tips. Some folks criticize the inherent social awkwardness in transactions that involve tipping, the inconsistency of tipping for some services but not similar ones, and the irrationality of basing tips on price, rather than the amount and quality of service.
A service charge is sometimes added to bills in restaurants and similar establishments. Attempts to hide service charge by obstructing the line on the receipt has been reported.
Mandatory tipping and voluntary tipping are illegal in some cases, or not generally part of Asian cultures, and can be confusing or offensive.
In the United States, charges were dropped in two separate cases over non-payment of mandatory gratuity. Courts ruled that automatic does not mean mandatory. Some cruise lines charge their patrons $10/day in mandatory tipping; this does not include extra gratuities for alcoholic beverages.
The following video clips make a good case, but we warn you the dialogue and language contains profanity. "Why don’t they just pay you a normal amount of money and make the food more expensive? I mean, that’s what every business has done since the dawn of time."
Why Tipping Should Be Banned: http://youtu.be/q_vivC7c_1k via @YouTube