Insists on Paying

Authority figures, especially of the benevolent kind, have a hard life. Everywhere they go they are offered stuff for free. But, since they're benevolent, they feel bad about robbing innocent citizens of their income, and loudly insist on paying for meals and such.

A lot of RPGs involving noblemen have the line, "I insist on paying for that!" to prevent you from getting stuff free. Though you usually don't get a nobleman's wealth along with the character (sometimes handwaved through a line such as, "The treasures in my treasury belong to the kingdom"). (See With This Herring.)

Truth in Television with policemen being offered freebies.

Examples of Insists on Paying include:

Advertising

An old Little Caesar's ad from years ago, back when they were offering a free pizza with a purchased one, had a Boy Scout troop master insisting on paying for the freebie pizza, when ordering for his troop. Hilarity ensued.

Literature

Captain Carrot of Discworld does this. Subverted in that they only offer him free stuff because they know he'll refuse.
- Averted with the other members of the Watch, particularly Fred Colon, who takes all the free meals he can get.
In the short story Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones, "Singers" are people with very special talents who are known world wide. There are only about 20 or so in the world. Hawk the Singer always attempts to pay for things before someone just gives it to him. He explains to the protagonist that the day he stops attempting to pay or stops acting surprised at getting something for free is the day he will have to start paying.

If I ever start expecting it, it'll stop.

Live-Action TV

Subverted in Friends, where Monica does accept free steaks (and an eggplant) from the new meat suppliers to the restaurant where she works, considering them a gift. She ends up being fired over it, since the owners of the restaurant wrongly interpreted it as a bribe (Monica had been recently promoted to a job which included selecting the meat supplier).

Video Games

Subverted with Edgar in Final Fantasy VI. If you put him at the head of the party and then visit a shop in Figaro, the merchants will say that they don't feel they should charge the King money if he needs something. Edgar will insist on paying anyway, but they will give him a half-price discount.

Edgar: Look, don't you have a family? Just shut up and take it.

Humorous subversion from Persona 3: In one of the Social Link scenes for Mitsuru Kirijo, she offers to pay for lunch... and is then flustered when she discovers the food stand from which you are buying doesn't accept credit cards, meaning you have to pay anyway.

Real Life

Truth in Television. Many, if not all, companies and government departments have policies in place to prevent the slightest hint of favoritism. Usually, gifts of less than $10 are okay and anything over must be refused or cleared with HR first (although some places do not allow any gifts at all). Applies even to people who don't have any power to influence anything (to prevent the slightest hint of favoritism toward any of the employees).