From The Wall Street Journal:
“The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based watchdog group that pressures food companies to make healthier products, plans to propose a federal excise tax on soft drink, certain fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and ready-to-drink teas. It would not include most diet beverages. Excise taxes are levied on goods and manufacturers typically pass them on to consumers.”
What do you think?
The US Senate is taking into consideration diverse ways to pay for a health care system overhaul. As I mentioned in my last post about the positive reinforcement insurance regime in Safeway, this could be another method of curbing health problems like obesity and allow the system to focus on people with actual problems. (I was once obese and have fought it, so I don’t consider it a legit disease or illness).The proposed option is to start taxing things that are contributing to health problems (cigarettes please) and soft drinks are in the cross-hairs.
The idea is that a new tax would discourage people from consuming soft drinks, and thereby contribute to a healthier America; all while raising new revenue to improve health care, one of Obama’s major promises. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that adding a $.03 tax to every can of soft drink would generate $24 billion over the next four years. It’s a relatively small amount, but it’s a start.
There exists an argument against this - much like the uproar that was created over the high tax on SMS in Pakistan - because lower-income Americans drink more soft drink and so the tax is unreasonable. But that argument only works if they don’t have alternatives. In fact, people in every income bracket have access to tap water, which also happens to be both freer and healthier than soft drink. Mix it up with lime for flavor :-D
Would you support a soft drink tax?
“Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son” – Animal House.
And is there something to be lost its just...well..There’s nothing to lose but type 2 diabetes. They also need to subsidize healthier foods. Essentially, anything in the fresh grocery section should get a subsidy and everything that’s in a cardboard box with preservatives somewhere else in the store should get a tax.The obesity epidemic can be tied to the extra 200 more calories a day than people drank during the 1970 - the average can of soda runs at 200 calories. So it is a no brainer to put a tax towards all those gastric bypass surgeries that people are going to demand coverage for. If it were up to me, I’d vote for a higher tax on high fructose corn syrup based beverages than those made with real sugar.On a side noteEveryone knows now that soda is bad and full of sugar and you shouldn’t drink it. So you just drink diet soda.
Hey, sucker, it's JUST AS BAD.
And it’s not just the cancer part. Drinking one soda (even diet) a day gives you a 44 percent chance of developing: “high blood pressure, elevated levels of the blood fats called triglycerides, low levels of the artery-protecting HDL cholesterol, high fasting blood sugar levels and excessive waist circumference.” Mmmm, early Death.
“Stop behaving like idiots, start thinking” – Zaid Hamid
Sources:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124208505896608647.html
http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6828158&nav=menu209_21
“The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based watchdog group that pressures food companies to make healthier products, plans to propose a federal excise tax on soft drink, certain fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and ready-to-drink teas. It would not include most diet beverages. Excise taxes are levied on goods and manufacturers typically pass them on to consumers.”
What do you think?
The US Senate is taking into consideration diverse ways to pay for a health care system overhaul. As I mentioned in my last post about the positive reinforcement insurance regime in Safeway, this could be another method of curbing health problems like obesity and allow the system to focus on people with actual problems. (I was once obese and have fought it, so I don’t consider it a legit disease or illness).The proposed option is to start taxing things that are contributing to health problems (cigarettes please) and soft drinks are in the cross-hairs.
The idea is that a new tax would discourage people from consuming soft drinks, and thereby contribute to a healthier America; all while raising new revenue to improve health care, one of Obama’s major promises. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that adding a $.03 tax to every can of soft drink would generate $24 billion over the next four years. It’s a relatively small amount, but it’s a start.
There exists an argument against this - much like the uproar that was created over the high tax on SMS in Pakistan - because lower-income Americans drink more soft drink and so the tax is unreasonable. But that argument only works if they don’t have alternatives. In fact, people in every income bracket have access to tap water, which also happens to be both freer and healthier than soft drink. Mix it up with lime for flavor :-D
Would you support a soft drink tax?
“Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son” – Animal House.
And is there something to be lost its just...well..There’s nothing to lose but type 2 diabetes. They also need to subsidize healthier foods. Essentially, anything in the fresh grocery section should get a subsidy and everything that’s in a cardboard box with preservatives somewhere else in the store should get a tax.The obesity epidemic can be tied to the extra 200 more calories a day than people drank during the 1970 - the average can of soda runs at 200 calories. So it is a no brainer to put a tax towards all those gastric bypass surgeries that people are going to demand coverage for. If it were up to me, I’d vote for a higher tax on high fructose corn syrup based beverages than those made with real sugar.On a side noteEveryone knows now that soda is bad and full of sugar and you shouldn’t drink it. So you just drink diet soda.
Hey, sucker, it's JUST AS BAD.
And it’s not just the cancer part. Drinking one soda (even diet) a day gives you a 44 percent chance of developing: “high blood pressure, elevated levels of the blood fats called triglycerides, low levels of the artery-protecting HDL cholesterol, high fasting blood sugar levels and excessive waist circumference.” Mmmm, early Death.
“Stop behaving like idiots, start thinking” – Zaid Hamid
Sources:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124208505896608647.html
http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6828158&nav=menu209_21
A very good article.
ReplyDeletehmm...makes sense
ReplyDeleteGreat Information sharing .. I am very happy to read this article .. thanks for giving us go through info.Fantastic nice. I appreciate this post. Beauty Salons
ReplyDelete