There is a new commercial out that is designed to make me angry about proposals at the state and national levels to help pay for healthcare (and generally raise revenue) by taxing soda and sweetened “juice” drinks. This is the second run of commercials paid for by the soda lobby in an attempt to sway public opinion against such taxes. When these commercials first appeared, they so annoyed me that I immediately wrote to my congressman to say I was adamantly in favor of such a tax.
These commercials annoy me for several reasons. First, they presume to tell me what I should be angry about. This woman, a very responsible mother, tells us in her best concerned-adult voice that hard-working families pay enough taxes already (true) and that a soda tax is an affront to their plight (untrue). This is not a tax on whole wheat bread, or arugula; it is a tax on a luxury item that impairs cognitive function and contributes to obesity.
Second, drinking excess amounts of soda imposes a financial burden on others because it contributes to obesity-related illnesses such as type-II diabetes, and therefore, people who drink more soda should pay more of the hidden costs. Kelly Brownell, who co-authored an article on the subject for the New England Journal of Medicine, reports that obesity-related illnesses cost $79 billion annually and half of that is covered by Medicare and Medicaid. That means my tax money is paying for someone else’s supersized Mountain Dew.
Perhaps most annoying is the commercial’s insinuation that cola is part of the fabric of American culture—life, liberty, and the pursuit of a refreshing Coke. Wow, all this time, I thought American culture was about self-reliance and innovation and it has really been about saving a few cents on a drink that will make me fat and sick. The good news is that the commercials are a symptom that the tax is relatively popular. So the tax is likely to happen eventually at either the state or federal level. And if you really want the soda without paying the tax, here’s what you can do: go to the grocery store, buy some club soda, mix in a lot of corn syrup and add coffee for caffeine and brownness. Enjoy.
Category: Economy, Healthcare
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Thursday, 24. September 2009
Thanks for posting the article, was certainly a great read!
Thursday, 24. September 2009
I agree. Soda and sweetened drinks that may contribute to obesity and related health problems should be taxed. The government already has it’s “sin” taxes; cigarettes, and liquor, both of which may contribute to health care problems, likewise may lead to higher health care cost. So, why not add soda and sweetened drinks to the list.
But why stop there? If we add soda and sweetened drinks to the list of “sin” taxes than what else can we add? Candy, cookies, potato chips, cake, French fries…? Should the government apply a tax to all food since preservatives used in the food may cause health issue, or hormones given to the animals which we consume may contribute to health issues. What is the true cost society will pay by allowing the government to apply such a tax? Another Boston Tea Party? I see a slipper slope ahead.
Thursday, 24. September 2009
I think that soda should be taxed. Especially the stuff with high fructose corn syrup. Seriously, this is national disease. It impacts an important protein in your body called leptin and causes you to gain weight and your triglyceride count to raise. If we taxed everything with HFCS, then maybe the soda and fruit juice companies would switch back to real sugar, which has its own problems but far less dangerous.
Thursday, 24. September 2009
Screw taxing soda. That’s a tax on college students! I need my Mountain Dew!
Saturday, 26. September 2009
Isn’t it sad that once some people started to realized that soda was “kinda” bad for us and moved toward requests for water at fast food joints, they wanted to charge us for it … like 10 cents to cover the cost of cup, lid, straw, making the ice and minimum wage labor to fill it from a tap.
Well, some folks find it silly to pay 10 cents for something we can get for “free” at home. Fast food gets clever and offers pre bottled water that costs them the same in bulk, but customers will now pay a whole dollar for it!
In fact, you can now go many places and pay the same or MORE for the same number of ounces of water as you do for soda. I am personally so against bottled water because it is a true luxury, that it should be taxed, too!
Please know that I am not so nieve to realized there are places even in this country where tap water is NOT safe… say the foothills surrounding Mountaintop Coal Mining and for home owners with well water downstream from concentrated animal farms.
Wednesday, 7. October 2009
Yet another tax from the Democrat party!?