Studies show that taxes on junk foods have to be steep and widespread to make a significant dent in obesity rates. (Rick Meyer / Los Angeles Times)
Posted on 08/23/2009 10:10:52 AM PDT by TaxPayer2000
A surcharge on cigarettes has helped curb smoking, but will the same tactic work to fight obesity?
"Sin taxes" on cigarettes have turned out to be the most effective weapon in the campaign to reduce smoking.
Why not try it on Flamin' Hot Cheetos, vanilla Coke and Twinkies?
With increasing vigor, public health experts and think tanks are calling for extra taxes on foods and drinks that are heavy in calories and light on nutrition. New York Gov. David Paterson proposed an 18% soda tax last year as a budget-balancing measure, only to abandon it three months later in the face of stiff public opposition. Lawmakers in at least five other states have gone on the record in support of the idea.
Junk-food taxes are often mentioned as a way to help fund a restructuring of the healthcare system, though no one in Congress has endorsed them.
The notion is catching on with the general public, however. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll last month found that 55% of respondents favored a tax on unhealthful snack foods, up from 52% in April. Support for a soda tax rose to 53% from 46%.
And 63% of those who opposed the idea said they would change their minds if the revenue were used to fund healthcare reform and combat health problems related to obesity.
A report this summer from the Urban Institute said such taxes are needed to ensure that rising obesity rates don't cause the average American life expectancy to fall for the first time in history.
"We are killing 100,000 people per year, so something needs to get done," said University of Virginia pediatric cardiologist Arthur Garson, one of the study's authors.
Many citizens object to such "nanny state" attempts at social engineering.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Studies show that taxes on junk foods have to be steep and widespread to make a significant dent in obesity rates. (Rick Meyer / Los Angeles Times)
Nanny government telling us what is good for us and what is not.
Whatever happened to the freedom of CHOICE or does that only apply to abortion?
I thought “Liberals” where for “Rights”
Legalize pot and tax snack food.
The future of Rat controlled California.
Nope.
They don't want to ban tobacco, they just want to tax you for it.
They don't want to end pollution, they just want to tax you for it.
They don't want to ban junk food, THEY JUST WANT TO TAX YOU FOR IT!
Geez. I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I am starting to see a pattern here.
Way to go America! Elections do have consequences.
Any idea to tax the poor, I’m in favor of. They don’t pay their fair share of taxes now and taxing their favorite foods and diversions..beer, cigarettes, twinkies, gambling and the lottery. All great ideas from the people who supposedly love them.
Its the government that is obese. Having gorged on our tax dollars for decades its grown into a fat sloth.
Sugar does get taxed in the socialist states, to prevent people from making their own alchohol. Candy included.
Why don’t we just have a special “convenience store” tax.
Let’s drive all those people from the Sub-Continent out of business.
BUT, BUT, BUT the left wing anti-human environmentalist do not want any humans here so what will they say if 100,000 people do not die early???????
Bravo Sierra - want to fight obesity? Stop with the handouts to the poor. Let them actually go find work and they won’t be so fat. If they don’t want to work, they won’t eat. Either way they will not be as obese.
Want to fight obesity? Stop subsidizing sugar production and stop subsidizing farming. Let the market forces return to food production.
Tax what?? Stupidity would be logical here as that would be specific to out Communist Government!
The complete everlasting rape of the American taxpayer is at hand.
out = Our
The complete everlasting rape of the American taxpayer is at hand.
We already pay tax on all groceries in OK and we have some of the most overweight people I have ever seen. So taxing doesn’t work. Here junk food and milk are taxed the same — make sense — not on your life but this state was under a Democrat legislature for all but four years until 2004 when Republicans took the OK House and in 2008 took full control of the OK Senate which it had never controlled.
Oklahoma is a perfectly example of what happens when Dems rule a state. We have only had three Republican Governors and will add a 4th in 2010. We are 49th in the road/bridge category of ones that need fixed and replaced. Only a few school districts have really good schools while others are marginal at best. State Superintendent — always a Democrat.
Democrats will tax anything and waste the tax dollars on their pet projects. Oklahoma is a living proof of failure of Democrat rule with the amount of state employees and the fact the legislature has so many people and get paid so much. Found out last Spring that the OK Senate used to take the month of April off as the House debated the budget. Republicans did not have the Senate take off this year.
Oklahomans are waking up to the fact that Dems have a lot of talk and want to tax and spend on their pet projects even if it doesn’t help the State.
Define “junk food”. Is it the 4 bagels an office coworker used to eat every breakfast, or the two Oreo’s I’d have with lunch?
The future of Rat controlled California.
Nothing wrong with legalizing pot. Taxing snack food is absurd, of course.
Your pothead President thinks so too.
If the government defines junk food you know that is open to interpretation and so everything will be taxed. Anything the government deems unhealthful will be taxed. That’s how the government works.
this is one reason why I’m against a national sales tax. it leads to all of this meddling.
” Having gorged on our tax dollars for decades its grown into a fat sloth.”
I think that Teddy the Swimmer should be the poster child for government sloth.
if you drive a car,car - I’ll tax the street;
if you try to sit,sit - I’ll tax your seat;
if you get too cold,cold - I’ll tax the heat;
if you take a walk,walk - I’ll tax your feet.
This is why people should have stood against taxing tobacco, smoking bans, lawsuits against tobacco companies, etc., even if they didn’t smoke.
If people had stood against that, government wouldn’t now be using the EXACT SAME METHODS to interfere in every other part of our lives. The only good thing is that now, some of those people who thought it was okay to use the government to control the behavior of others will now get a true understanding of why it’s not such a good idea.
Same with gun control, seat belt laws, etc. You should always do everything you can to slam the foot in the door.
Well, he can't be wrong about everything...as much as he tries!
showing that picture is more effective than any tax on junk food. I think I’m going to talk a walk now...
That’s true, but IT’S NOT THE GOVERNMENT’S FRICKIN’ BUSINESS !!
...and alcohol abuse.
Yeah, him too.
Who defines ‘way too much’? You want the government to do that?
It’s none of the goverment’s business what we consume. Imagine giving them the power to snoop through everything we buy. They don’t care whether it’s healthy or not. It’s popular so they want to tax it.
PS: Some of these store that give you a store card instead of coupons have your name and address and keep that data to sell to whoever is willing to pay for it. If you sign up for one of those cards be sure and don’t use traceable information.
Socialists Ben & Jerry shouldn’t mind the fat tax, then. What’s another $.50 on their already overpriced ice cream?
(I’m against the whole concept of “sin tax.”)
In the 1930's US life expectancy was in the 50's and today, the average American lives close to 80 years old. Yet every day we're told of some substance that is killing 100's of thousands of us.
Geez, you'd think our current gov't would be looking for more ways for us to die off sooner. The problem is that they want to get their taxes out of us first.
LOL @ blurring out her eyes............... No way I would recognize her now!
Another boon for the indians on the reservation. They’ll add snack food to the tobacco and liquor they’re already selling.
No, it applies to euthanasia too.
No, but I don’t want to pay their damn medical bills either are provide them their food. Ask your self, who feeds the hogs when they get to damn big to get their own food.
Alright, I protest. That picture shows a York Peppermint Pattie in the lower right corner. Those are actually lowfat, relatively speaking. It has 2.5 grams of fat, 140 calories. A Hershey bar has 13 fat grams, 210 calories. The food nazis should give me a tax credit for eating the York.
Wow!! I just lost my appetite!
I know. I haven’t bough ice cream since it got way too expensive. I don’t even go to Baskin Robbins anymore. Overpriced ice cream, just like the overpriced coffee at Starbucks.
Just my personal opinion but I really don’t think the overconsumption of sugar is at the root of the weight problem for everyone. Not getting enough daily movement coupled with overeating (everything, not just sugar) is bad and will eventually cause problems.
We have a little less than one month and counting to get the word out all across
>>
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>>
>> THE PROGRAM:
>>>>>
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>>>>>
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>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>> Action Plan:
>>>>>
>>>>> So, here’s what we need you to do .
>>>>>
>>>>> (1) Forward this email to everyone you know (at least 11 people). Please don’t be the one to break this chain. Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.
>>>>>
>>>>> (2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don’t, then at least make it a priority on this day.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thank you for your participation. God Bless You and God Bless America !
>>>
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