Fat Tax? NY Governor Proposes New Tax on Soft Drinks

I'm in favor of this tax. Our government has financially encouraged food producers to create crap made of corn, chemicals and white flour to fill supermarkets with cheap "food". The result has been a lot of obese, sick poor people. I've worked for years with food pantries and I've given many workshops that teach poor people how to eat healthy for not much money. When I first started doing this work I realized that you could buy a lot of calories for not much money, but very little nutrition. I would love to see this trend reversed. There has also been talk about taking foods like soda, fake juice, and candy off the list of items you can buy with food stamps. I hope that is the next step, along with some education of what a proper, healthy diet consists of.

It's a tax. Taxes are used to raise money. Politicians like money. Governors are politicians. Someday, they'll have a tax on air, and tout is as voluntary, as no one is required by law to breathe.

Ooops.

Prolly ought to stay shut up, but I truly think food stamps need an overhaul.

I watch many purchases with stamps occur while I shop, and often times I cringe at what is in the buggies. (overflowing, I might add, but full of crap)

Roger, no one likes taxes, but people like many of the services these taxes support. NY has a successful health care program for the poor. The problem is many of our poor are obese and/or have diabetes and/or have heart disease. These illnesses come from eating cheap, crappy foodstuff. I would like the government to discourage the buying of these foods. At the very least, these foods should be taxed to help pay for the medical care that treats the illnesses caused by this junk food.

The food assistance program needs a total overhaul. As the system is now it encourages people to buy cheap calories. There is little information that teaches poor people how to eat a healthy, cheap diet (why make lentil soup when you can buy boxes of Hamburger Helper?). Corporations also donate things like coupons for baby formula so women don't continue to breast feed. The system does not work in favor of poor people who really need the service, but rather the AgBiz suppliers of junk calories. It's a little better than it was 20 years ago, but not by much.

That does it. I'm switching to Diet Pepsi.

Agreeing with Green Witch and RH, re the food stamp thing. Have some qualms re the tax in NY. I'm both sort of for it and somewhat against it.

I guess the paternal thing gets my goat, or, since I'm wavering, half of my goat.
The cigs and alcohol tax may too, if I paid any attention to those.
(No, no, I do understand the distress to the general welfare of cigs and alcohol, and so on. No need to elaborate.)

I'll toss another cocktail on the fire...

Why is there sales tax on food in some places, but not in others?

I've lived in many states, and do not understand states that have to tax the people who eat.

I've posted about this before - we've had taxes on junk food for ages. Works reasonably well, though I have to wonder why 1 muffin is junk and 6 muffins are food.

Yeh, that is part of my goat balking.

Nevertheless, I don't generally care for taxes being used to control behavior. Most people do, of course. Most people buy into the fad de jour.

Not sure about a fad, sin taxes been 'round a while.

Bought tobacco or alcohol of late...?

Yes. I get my tobacco on the Sandia Rez. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

they prolly got Mountain Dew, too...



(damn natives is crafty)

Buying tobacco from the Indians has a much longer history than Mountain Dew. You don't recall Sir Walter Raleigh paying tax, either, do you?

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

You apparently do not favor personal freedom. You need Govt to tell you what to eat (no trans fats) and drink?

And you probably believe in welfare.

This will not necessarily help those it is intended to help. Sugar can be an addiction, I believe, so instead of sugary soda, people can just put sugar in tea, coffee, etc.

Plus, if diet soda, and sugary soda are the same price, what would stop a soda company from raising the price of the diet soda to equal the price of the sugary soda after tax?

And, if the intent is to help people who are diabetic, or overweight, could the supermarket just have a scale on the customer side of check-out? Tax the soda, if overweight; no tax if within a healthy range (for one's height). Otherwise, the health concern is sort of bogus, since the healthy are also being taxed (including those who have a high metabolism, and will never be overweight).

Lastly, is there a scientific conclusion on how healthy the diet sodas are?

I was at a bookstore the other day and I ordered a piece of cake. If I ordered the cake for there I would have to pay an additional 5% sales tax, whereas, taking it "to go" saved me money. I ordered it to go then ate it there.

It isn't just the product they're addicted to, it is the marketing image. The Madison Avenue pushers have had us strung out on it for decades. This isn't a modern phenomenen.

Examples: