Sodas a Tempting Tax Target

nyt ^ | May 19, 2009 | DAVID LEONHARDT

[polymuser]

What part of the Constitution gives the government the right to do this?

Constitution? They don't need no stinkin' constitution!

[DrC]

“Taxing to affect human behavior should be STRICTLY AND FOREVER FORBIDDEN!!!”

I concur entirely, but that horse left the barn long ago. Leaving aside “sin” taxes on alcohol, tobacco and gasoline (isn’t driving a sin now that Al Gore has shown us NYC soon will be inundated by a 20 foot rise in sea levels?), which are a pittance in the overall tax picture, we now have over $1 trillion a year in “tax expenditures” (i.e., taxes foregone) aimed at encouraging us to buy houses, health insurance and an endless supply of other things that Congress decided were not being consumed sufficiently under a free market.

Changing behavior is a pretext: raising revenue is the hidden agenda behind most of these tax levies.

[Lurker]

The purpose of taxation is to raise revenue. Nothing else. If a tax is levied for any other reason, it is (imho) unconstitutional.

SCOTUS agrees. See US v Drexel.

L

[6SJ7]

The authors were Kelly Brownell, a longtime obesity researcher at Yale, and Thomas Frieden, the New York City health commissioner.

Looks like Kelly Brownell is an expert on obesity.

[TSgt]

What are you talking about? He looks trim to me...

[TSgt]

At this rate Code Pink could get involved...

[Frank_2001]

Well, maybe there is rock- solid muscle under that long-sleeved shirt!/s;)

[Peet]

Huh???? Waddya mean “sugar-sweetened”? Sugar my narrow behind! If you want Coca-Cola with sugar, you have to hunt down the kosher stuff if it is available - maybe during passover? (Or find the Mexican stuff if you live in the southwest I’ve heard.) Leave it to the NYT to get the sweetener wrong. *spit*

HFCS makes me sick, so I always had to avoid Pepsi. Coke has been on the same list for a loooonnnng time also.

This is gonna hurt the corn industry - mark my words...

P

[CaliforniaCon]

Re the ghastly photo of ‘pink’ lady — what is that ‘thing’ hanging down between her legs? Her stomach?????????????

[Fast Moving Angel]

So does this mean that they’ll drop the price on diet sodas??

[keepitreal]

Probably the first time in its modern history that the NYT is quoting Adam Smith. Unfortunately, they are quoting him to advocate bigger government.