I hope everyone is ready for a new pointless tax!!!! Do you enjoy drinking soda? Well get ready for a new tax on all those sugary beverages. "New York has revived a proposal to impose a penny per ounce tax on sweetened beverages" Colorado and Illinois already have these taxes and California is currently considering it. Former President Bill Clinton had brought this issue to the forefront when he tackled the issue of child obesity and soda vending machines in schools. Now the need to deter adults from buying these beverages is being addressed. A 2 liter bottle of coke would cost 62 cents more then whatever it costs now. But does this slight price increase really have any chance of reducing the demand for soda? Most New Yorkers actually support this tax, but that doesn't mean it will do what its proposed to. The issue has been floating around the federal level but is left to individual states to decide what to do. I personally don't drink soda but if I did, then I don't really think it would make a difference. I don't think that would make a difference to anyone to be quite honest. How much would that mean for extremely sugary drinks like energy drinks? Many will be surprised to find out that Vitamin Water will be taxed just as much as coke considering the hidden amount of calories and grams of sugar it has. According to Wall Street Journal, these taxes will help to pay for President Obama's health care reform. is this a valid response to American obesity or is legislation completely off base here?
Link used: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/08/eveningnews/main6279674.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody
http://www.livescience.com/health/090512-soda-tax.html
3 comments:
maybe its a measure to prevent obesity Americans consume so much soda daily. It is a little too much control though. I think its worse how much the price of ciggarettes has risen 2 years ago a pack was less than five dollars now they are around seven. While smoking does kill the same way soda causes health issues, its like these taxes punish the lowest economic groups. lower income indviuals are the ones who generally smoke and consume the most soda. by taxing items that these people won't stop consuming just because of a rise in cost seems counter productive.
I don't like the idea of using taxes as a deterrent. It is not government's place to determine whether behaviors are "good" or "bad." Drinking soda is an individual's choice. Smoking is an individual's choice. It is not government's place to try and deter these behaviors.
I am a proponent of service-based taxes. If the government is providing a service, those taking advantage of said service should pay into the system. A gasoline tax for road maintenance for example. Assuming the president's health care plan is mandatory, which is likely, all citizens should have to pay into this service, not just those Americans who drink soda.
This is not to say I don't support this tax, I do, but for other reasons.
I understand that this could help obesity in the United States, however, this is ridiculous. Talk about government going too far. This is not by any means what the government should be focusing time on. This is ridiculous to even know that officials are really considering this. If children want to have sugar products then let them its their choice. If parents do not want their children eating that junk, then it is their responsibility to teach them young and early. Parents also have the option to not give their children the money for those products. The government should NOTTTTTTT be able to control what we drink.
Post a Comment