Should the Government Tax Your Coke?
source: http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/features/index.asp?article=f112...
-
-
- lizziehoffman
- added this
(New York Times Upfront)-- Soda is pretty much the only thing that 16-year-old Nieko Clow drinks. Sometimes he mixes Dr. Pepper with Mountain Dew—a concoction he calls "Dr. Dew." A junior at Stevens High School in Claremont, N.H., Nieko says he drinks about a 12-pack of soda on an average day.
That's a lot, but Nieko isn't alone. Americans drink a lot of soda. In fact, Americans drink more soda than any other kind of beverage. That's fueling a debate in Washington and in state capitals over whether sugary soft drinks should be subject to a special tax as a way to fight obesity and provide money for health-care reform. (Of course, the recession is also forcing many states and Washington to look for tax dollars wherever they can.)
It's part of a larger debate about so-called "junk food taxes" or "fat taxes" that have recently been imposed in Illinois and considered in New York, Arizona, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. The basic economic concept is that making something more expensive by taxing it discourages people from buying it. That's the thinking behind "sin taxes," which are often imposed on cigarettes and alcohol.
Recently, a team of prominent doctors, scientists, and policy makers said that a "soda tax" could be a powerful weapon in efforts to reduce obesity, in the same way that cigarette taxes have helped curb smoking.
Talk of a soda tax is just the latest headache for an industry that has been struggling with flat or declining sales. Across the country, many schools have removed soda from vending machines, saying they should not be plying children with sugary drinks.
The American Heart Association recently urged people to reduce their intake of sugary foods and beverages to lower the risk of conditions like obesity and high blood pressure—singling out soft drinks as a prime culprit.
...More...
That's a lot, but Nieko isn't alone. Americans drink a lot of soda. In fact, Americans drink more soda than any other kind of beverage. That's fueling a debate in Washington and in state capitals over whether sugary soft drinks should be subject to a special tax as a way to fight obesity and provide money for health-care reform. (Of course, the recession is also forcing many states and Washington to look for tax dollars wherever they can.)
It's part of a larger debate about so-called "junk food taxes" or "fat taxes" that have recently been imposed in Illinois and considered in New York, Arizona, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. The basic economic concept is that making something more expensive by taxing it discourages people from buying it. That's the thinking behind "sin taxes," which are often imposed on cigarettes and alcohol.
Recently, a team of prominent doctors, scientists, and policy makers said that a "soda tax" could be a powerful weapon in efforts to reduce obesity, in the same way that cigarette taxes have helped curb smoking.
Talk of a soda tax is just the latest headache for an industry that has been struggling with flat or declining sales. Across the country, many schools have removed soda from vending machines, saying they should not be plying children with sugary drinks.
The American Heart Association recently urged people to reduce their intake of sugary foods and beverages to lower the risk of conditions like obesity and high blood pressure—singling out soft drinks as a prime culprit.
...More...
