Tax On Coca-Cola Could Make Americans Thinner

[RadicalGeek]

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/05-5

They brought the world Coca-Cola and Pepsi, two of the globe's most recognisable brands. Now Americans - not renowned for favouring new taxes - have been told that a national levy on its fizzy drinks could not only wipe out the budget deficits of most US states but significantly reduce obesity and diabetes.

The proposal from the Centre for Science in the Public Interest - a health advocacy group - follows the release of a study last week claiming budget-strapped states, including California, could raise $10bn (£6bn) a year by raising a tax of 7 cents on each can of Coke or similar sodas.
. . .
The proposal is being bitterly opposed by the food industry and their lobby groups. "The tax code should not be used as a tool for social engineering. Nor should it be an instrument for penalising individuals' personal food choices - choices that some government officials find distasteful," J Justin Wilson, senior research analyst at the Centre for Consumer Freedom, told the Los Angeles Times.

Why not a tax on fast food as well?

[Zywiec]

1. I thought obesity didn't have anything to do with calories?

At least that's what I keep reading here on DU.

Apparently calories in vs calories burned is old thinking and this probably won't help.

:shrug:

[caballero]

6. I have a friend who gains more weight than he eats. Or so he claims,

I don't understand how he manages to violate the laws of thermodynamics.

[timeforpeace]

17. No, it will only make them poorer. Only not drinking it will make you thinner.

[CalvinandHobbes]

43. God I want to slap the morons

who keep touting that line!!!! Insanity.......

[bain_sidhe]

2. Same argument they used against cigarette taxes

The tax code should not be used as a tool for social engineering. Nor should it be an instrument for penalising individuals' personal food choices - choices that some government officials find distasteful," J Justin Wilson, senior research analyst at the Centre for Consumer Freedom, told the Los Angeles Times.

And may they have the same luck with it.

[Eric J in MN]

10. That organization started with a focus against limiting cigarettes...

...in restaurants.

[bain_sidhe]

15. Yup, this is the same Rick Berman that Rachel's been talking about

Pretty sure the Center (to use American spelling) for Consumer Freedom is one of his outfits. http://www.bermanexposed.org/

[BrklynLiberal]

21. Talk about someone who would sell his soul for the right amount...

this guy is a total sellout...for ANYTHING and ANYONE that is willing to pay.

[NMMOM]

47. Rick Berman on Rachel show tonite

I'm pretty sure he'll be a guest on her show tonight. Should be interesting.

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Good. And they should put a $1 deposit on every can and bottle, too.

Sick and tired of the assholes throwing cans and bottles all over the place.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Now THAT would be a great idea!!!!!!!

It should be on everything in a bottle, not just soda.

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. I believe so, too - EVERY can and bottle should be a $1 deposit.

Can of peas, bottle of water, jar of pickles - all should have a deposit on them.

[imdjh]

12. And Mcdonald's bags. McDonald's has the trashiest consumer.

I never see Wendy's trash, only McDonald's.

[BrklynLiberal]

19. I very often see it flying out of car windows as I drive down the highway!!!!!!!!!

McDonalds should definitely offer some kind of deposit refund if you bring your McD garbage back to them...

[BrklynLiberal]

4. I have to agree..and I am one of those who LOVES Coca-Cola.

The ads on TV that are trying to undermine this are pushing the BS that this is a tax on food...and the economy is so bad that the govt should not be interfering with parents' attempts to put food on the table for their children...!!!
:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad:

[mike_c]

7. I'm all for a tax on sodas....

Stuff's poison, as far as I'm concerned. Slow poison, so no one drops dead after drinking one-- or at least it's impossible to prove-- but that shit's toxic just the same.

[harkadog]

52. What do you drink?

BTW there are studies which show anything you may be drinking including water can injure you. I'll be waiting for your answer.

[DJ13]

9. I hate some perfumes

I dont believe anyone should have the right to wear the ones I hate.

[Thickasabrick]

24. Let's tax it!!

:sarcasm:

[Captain Hilts]

11. Tax those huge, two litre bottles that can cost just a buck. nt

[imdjh]

13. You rarely find those discarded in your yard.

[Captain Hilts]

16. The OP is about health issues.

Though I do believe in deposits on bottles.

[Thickasabrick]

25. Slow down there a minute, I recyle those to use as vegetable domes

in the garden. I also drink sugar free drinks so they better not tax those.

[derby378]

14. Tax high-fructose corn syrup, not colas

Once again, CSPI gets it all wrong and proposes another tax on lower- and middle-class Americans. Great job.

You want to fight obesity? Tax HFCS out of existence. Bring back sucrose.

[BrklynLiberal]

20. If you return the container, you should get the money back....

This would help keep all that crap off our streets and parks....

Not a tax...just a temporary deposit. It would make it more probable that people would return the containers rather than toss them out their car window or leave them on the ground in a park.

[Sebastian Doyle]

26. The MonSatan poison is indeed the problem, but taxing it is the wrong approach

Better to remove the government subsidies from it. If FrankenCorn and its mercury laden byproduct are no longer cheap, the food mfgs will return to real sugar.

And while real sugar isn't exactly a health food, it's considerably healthier than HFCS.

But regressive taxes will solve nothing. Rich people don't eat that shit, unless they really want to.

[derby378]

27. We could just outlaw it instead, but...

...you know the industry would pitch another teabagger fit over this. I'm trying to think of a way to lead the industry around like a mule instead of beating it with a stick.

[ejpoeta]

18. I'll say I don't agree with taxing pop or fast food. I didn't agree with the cigarette taxes either

but that being said, i don't believe that the people who support the cigarette taxes have anything to say about this. they thought it was a good idea for smokers.... then it's a good idea for the rest of us too then!! So anyone who supports the cigarette taxes can STFU about taxing pop.... it's the same reason, isn't it??? ok then.

[Thickasabrick]

31. +1 nt

[The River]

22. Tax The Hell Out Of

Soda, fast food and cigarettes then put it all towards health care.
Same for HFC, sugar etc. It may look like food but it's just a slow acting,
long term poison that
causes a lot of preventable health problems.

[Thickasabrick]

23. They already tax the hell out of cigarettes. The poor are the

largest consumers of Fast Food - this just makes it harder on them.

[The River]

28. It's Just Makes Them Sicker

and then they (or we) have to spend more on their health care.
It's a vicious cycle.

If the Russians had invented the fast food industry in the 50's
we would have thought it was a plan to destroy our national health and banned it.
They didn't have too. We did it to ourselves.

It's actually much cheaper to cook food and pack a lunch than run to a fast food
outlet because you're "poor". That's part of the reason
why they are poor to begin with.

[Thickasabrick]

29. Then come with as cheap and convenient an alternative and I would

totally be behind this. Keep in mind, many of the poor do not have cars, and they do not have functioning kitchens.

[The River]

34. Really Poor People

don't eat fast food. They can't afford it.
They buy day old bread. They pick up road kill.
They garden, hunt, go to food banks or go without.
Only uneducated or lazy people who don't care
about their health eat fast food.

[Thickasabrick]

38. The dollar value menu is very appealing to poor people - and

bottom line, rich people don't eat at Fast Food joints so again, you are penalizing the wrong demographic.

[DJ13]

30. Where and what people eat shouldnt be anyones business

Would you like to have outsiders go through your daily routine and say what you should be allowed to do?

Is this still America, 'cause its feeling more like a repressive regime to me in recent years.

[The River]

33. Strawman Argument

We are totally free to be as stupid, selfish and self destructive
as we want to be. All I proposed was upping the tax on self destructive
habits. You want to kill yourself with fast food? Go for it.

[DJ13]

37. The cost of goods is a limit on the freedom you think we have

In a capitalist society increasing the end cost of goods by taxing them results in less people being able to afford those goods.

And just who does that kind of scheme impact the most, not the wealthy.

Enough with this nanny shit where busybodies believe they have a right to tell others how to live.

[Thickasabrick]

39. +1 nt

[MindPilot]

49. "Enough with this nanny shit "

Well said!

[IndianaGreen]

32. Vote for this tax at your own political peril

Assholes!

[handmade34]

35. "...tax code... social engineering" ...stupid argument

...what about corporation's use of marketing (subtle and not so subtle) used as a tool for social engineering?? everybody stop defending corporations and very intelligent marketing used to convince people that they should be able to buy and consume an expensive bottle of water, HFCS, coloring, flavoring and caffeine

[CLANG]

36. I say we put a use tax on all the things I don't use! n/t

[Rabrrrrrr]

40. Or put a $15 trillion tax on one thing, and just wait a few minutes for the no-willpower bastard

who will buy it.

Voila - everything solved.

"Thanks, Dave! The national debt is now your problem. The rest of are gonna go get healthcare now."

[CLANG]

50. Well, the guy would go down as a saint and saviour in American history,

albeit an odd one!

[Skittles]

41. more taxes on liquor

I doubt people drink a buttload of coca-cola and kill a family on the road

[Angry Dragon]

42. Getting Tired

I am really tired of every new tax that they can think of. 
Perhaps it would be better to just rework the tax code to a
fairer thing.  Get rid of waste in government.  They think
that it is their job to spend as much as they can.  Tax on
politicians.  $1000 for every pound they are over weight.  You
get so many hours of tv a day.  Tax the overage.  So many
hours at the computer.  Tax the excess.  Tax excess
fornication.  TAX  TAX   TAX ........it has to stop and the
masses are the only ones to pay the freight.  

[Fearless]

44. We would have to be cautious however to make sure this doesn't become...

A socio-economic tax as well. It's largely accepted that the cheapest foods are also the unhealthiest. Therefore the poorest tend to buy the unhealthiest foods, not because they want too necessarily, but because they need to. We do not need a tax on this nation's poor.

[Gulftrout]

45. A tax on the fat/stupid, GOTTA LOVE IT

Soft drinks, totally worthless. Fast food, greasy n nasty. Cigs, nasty. Tax 'em. When 8 year old boys have man boobs, government gotta do something!!

[Vickers]

53. You better hope they never tax douchbaggery.

You'll be in the po' house!

:rofl:

[YoungAndOutraged]

46. The idea of taxing soft drinks/fast food is laughably stupid

Here's a great idea for those who support soft drink taxes: Why not install something on televisions, video game consoles, and computers that records how many minutes a day it has been on, and send people a monthly bill of $0.25 for every single minute those things are on a day? Wouldn't that be a great idea too? After all, no one has any business to ever use any of those things for any reason, ever. They make you fat and stupid, right? Why not tax people for every mile they drive as well? After all, they should be riding bicycles.

All of that is :sarcasm: by the way, but I'm certain there's at least a few people who would actually think those taxes would be good ideas, and I'm willing to bet those same people would be the first to ask why Republicans wipe the floor with us in 2010 and 2012.

[MindPilot]

48. Tax it all!

Let's tax income and tax sales. That should cover everything.

And I think there should be a really high tax on car alarms because they really annoy me. So there.

And an extra high tax on old people who drive slow.

[harkadog]

51. If this food really is "bad" for you make it illegal.

Why allow a product that supposedly injures you to be sold? Drugs that injure you are not allowed. Why should we be making money off a product that is injuring people's health?

[IndianaGreen]

54. Go ahead, support a soda tax, and taste defeat at the polls!

and a well-deserved one at that!