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Why soda taxes don't work
The Washington Times ^ | June 24, 2018 | Adam Brandon

Posted on 06/24/2018 12:33:12 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Time and again we hear politicians from different parts of the country profess the virtues of a soda tax. Their reasoning ranges from wanting to improve the public health, by cutting back consumption of unhealthy drinks, to talking about how much revenue it will bring in.

This proclivity of nanny statists to push policies to change people’s behavior hues quite closely to Einstein’s definition of insanity: Trying the same thing over and over, expecting different results. Policy makers of all stripes need to abandon their affinity for soda taxes.

Put simply, soda taxes just don’t work. Take Berkeley, California, as an example. The city implemented a one cent-per-ounce tax in 2014, which could increase costs by almost 75 percent. A study conducted at Duke University showed that the tax has had little to no effect on obesity, and other related health issues. Another study showed that caloric intake from taxed beverages only went down six calories per day. It turns out the government cannot tax people into good health.

The story remains the same in Philadelphia, a city that implemented its own soda tax of one-and-a-half cents-per-ounce last year. Instead of taking in increased revenues from consumers, Oxford Economics found that instead the tax drove consumers out of the city. Beverage sales decreased in Philadelphia by 24 percent. Sales increased by 14 percent in the surrounding area. The soda tax, like most all taxes, hurts small businesses in the process. In this case, it also failed to produce the revenue it sought.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; US: California; US: Illinois; US: New York; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: berkeley; california; chicago; health; illinois; nannystate; newyork; nutrition; nyc; pennsylvania; philadelphia; soda; sodatax; sodataxes; tax; taxes
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1 posted on 06/24/2018 12:33:12 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: 100American; SheLion; Eric Blair 2084; -YYZ-; 31R1O; 383rr; AFreeBird; AGreatPer; Alamo-Girl; ...

Nanny State PING!


2 posted on 06/24/2018 12:35:06 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks ( The US Constitution ....... Invented by geniuses and God .... Administered by morons ......)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Dear Washington Times, where is your copy editor? “hues quite closely” should be “hews quite closely”.


3 posted on 06/24/2018 12:44:39 PM PDT by caseinpoint (Don't get thickly involved in thin things.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

“Einstein’s definition of insanity: Trying the same thing over and over, expecting different results”

The definition of insanity is repeating that idiotic cliché over and over!


4 posted on 06/24/2018 12:45:41 PM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: caseinpoint

Good catch!


5 posted on 06/24/2018 12:47:05 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks ( The US Constitution ....... Invented by geniuses and God .... Administered by morons ......)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Soda except real ones from Italy. Suck
Bad sugar water
The new thing which is great is kombucha
Good for you soda !


6 posted on 06/24/2018 12:48:07 PM PDT by Truthoverpower (The guvmint you get is the Trump winning express !)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

They can’t help themselves. They want control of everything we do, say or think.


7 posted on 06/24/2018 12:50:30 PM PDT by I want the USA back (Liberalism is the denial of human nature.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Hmmm. Maybe they should try one more time?


8 posted on 06/24/2018 12:51:36 PM PDT by FreeperCell
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
"Ideas have consequences." - Weaver.

America, under what Madison called a "benign" government influence, became a place of freedom, creativity, productivity, and plenty--enough to share with the world.

Other places, under the spell of these ideas of "socialism" and Utopia, have come and gone, or, if they exist, they are miserable places where tyrannical clowns squelch creativity among the citizens, destroy productivity, produce poverty and gloom, and look to other countries to sustain their people, while the leaders soak up all that the citizens produce.

Yet, in America, the beneficiaries of the Founders' system of free people and limited government prattle on and on about how they're going to "fight" for the little people whose votes they covet!

Enough already!

9 posted on 06/24/2018 12:54:21 PM PDT by loveliberty2
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Even in brain dead Cook County the population rose up against the one cent per oz tax. I was not much of a pop drinker but immediately went into DuPage County and bought a case.

The Central Committee had to rescind it within months grumbling all the while about “the children.”


10 posted on 06/24/2018 12:55:03 PM PDT by arrogantsob (See "Chaos and Mayhem" at Amazon.com)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Even in brain dead Cook County the population rose up against the one cent per oz tax. I was not much of a pop drinker but immediately went into DuPage County and bought a case.

The Central Committee had to rescind it within months grumbling all the while about “the children.”


11 posted on 06/24/2018 12:55:03 PM PDT by arrogantsob (See "Chaos and Mayhem" at Amazon.com)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

I would drink water


12 posted on 06/24/2018 12:55:29 PM PDT by xzins (Retired US Army chaplain. Support our troops by praying for eir victory.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Hmm, I wonder if Seattle will learn from this?

Rhetorical question.

13 posted on 06/24/2018 1:01:02 PM PDT by PROCON ('Progressive' is an Euphemism for Totalitarian)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

I’m in favor banning sugar and sugar products like HFCS. Sugar more closely resembles a drug than a food source. Ever see a kid drink their first coke? It’s like they took a snort of Cocaine. For a long time we didn’t see the negatives in sugar consumption today it’s looking more and more like its a drug with no health benefits that does long term damage to people’s health.

There’s a book called “the Case against Sugar” where the author Gary Taubes tracks how ills like diabetes and obesity closely track the increased availability of sugar.


14 posted on 06/24/2018 1:12:54 PM PDT by JohnyBoy (The GOP Senate is intentionally trying to lose the majority.)
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To: caseinpoint

If spell-check doesn’t say it’s wrong, then it must be right, write?


15 posted on 06/24/2018 1:14:25 PM PDT by HartleyMBaldwin
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To: HartleyMBaldwin

Absotively, posilutely write!


16 posted on 06/24/2018 1:22:26 PM PDT by caseinpoint (Don't get thickly involved in thin things.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Seattle has a soda tax. So Seattle Costco’s are showing how much extra you pay for the soda tax. People are going to out of city Costco’s to get their soda. The city council is unhappy with Costco for undermining their tax. Boo friggin’ hoo


17 posted on 06/24/2018 1:28:44 PM PDT by llevrok (Established 1950.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

They’re not supposed to “work”, they’re supposed to punish behavior with an eye towards bringing in revenue, just like excise taxes on tobacco, or what not.


18 posted on 06/24/2018 1:30:43 PM PDT by fruser1
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To: Bonemaker

Alternative definition of insanity:

Anything involving government, politicians or bureaucrats.


19 posted on 06/24/2018 1:37:52 PM PDT by Newtoidaho (All I ask of living is to have no chains on me.)
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To: All

Did it raise money?


20 posted on 06/24/2018 1:53:39 PM PDT by bennowens
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