It is sad. People from all races and backgrounds are obese. In a recent survey done at Henry Ford College, 43 percent of students were overweight. Whether it is because they do not follow a healthy diet or they inherited it from their parents. Being overweight is correlated with lacking exercise or physical activity and not watching what is on the plate. Obesity can cause many illnesses, including diabetes, which is very common. As the debate whether soda tax should take effect arises, critics say that the tax will help those with obesity-related illnesses. What about exercising and maintaining a healthy lifestyle? These two factors cannot be forgotten knowing they are the most important. Americans have consumed 12 percent of soda and become less active since 1970. A soda tax aims to stop consumers from buying soda to help those who are obese. This will not be effective. Therefore a soda tax will not be good public policy.
A soda tax is a tax that will add an extra cent per ounce
The article, Soda Consumption Does Not Equal Obesity, states that soda is not the only reason people are obese. When people are more active, they are less likely to have an obesity-related illness. Being active plays an important role because people are constantly burning fat, which makes it less likely for them to be overweight or obese. Economists from Emory University declare that soft drinks do not have a big impact on weight. The reason was that when untaxed, soft drinks only represent 7% of a soda drinker’s calorie intake. An article released by the National Association of Convenience Stores states that Virginia and Arkansas are currently taxing soda. “Just look at West Virginia and Arkansas, two states currently taxing soft drinks. Those two states have some of the highest obesity rates in the country,” said Muhart Kent. If taxing soda did not affect obesity in those two states, then it will not affect obesity in any
Everyday Americans die from the diseases they carry from obesity. Many Americans overeat because of their social problems or because they are hereditary. Many plans have been discussed, but finding the solution is the problem. Junk foods and unhealthy beverages have corrupted children’s minds all over the nation, and putting a stop to it could lead to other benefits. Unhealthy foods and drinks should be taxed and healthy foods should be advertised to help prevent American obesity.
The article,“ Battle lines drawn over soda tax,” by Associated Press , the Press explains how there is an ongoing “national fight about taxing sugary drinks.” According to Associated Press, “ Health experts say the beverages contribute to health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay.” This quote demonstrates that sugary drinks can lead to health issues. Since sugary drinks leads to health issues, people are considering soda tax. This is because thirteen percent of adult minorities are diagnosed with diseases such as diabetes.
Drenkard, S. (2010). Overreaching on Obesity: Governments Consider New Taxes on Soda and Candy. Retrieved from http://heartland.org
Evan Cook's article "No! Let us enjoy our sweet drinks in peace" was written to persuade us that soda and sugary drinks are not the cause of the health problems and warning labels don't help people consume less soda.Cook states that soda is not the only cause of obesity. In the 4th paragraph he states, "Inactivity and overeating both contribute..." His intention was to tell us soda does not cause us to be unhealthy, it is us choosing to not exercise and having food carvings. These choices impact our bodies by turning the extra energy from the extra food into fat. If we don't exercise the fat will stay there making us get obese overtime. In the 8th paragraph Cook states, "Psychological studies have shown...that for cigarette smokers, warning
Coke continuously out-stands Pepsi, even though they share a very similar taste and colour, however Coke should not be the drink that receives all the love and attention for what it offers. Despite their similar soda colour, the drinks actually contain some different ingredients, which produce a different taste, and affect the body differently. Furthermore, the way the companies markets their drinks makes a huge contribution to how successful their products will become. The major element for success however stems from their impact on society and how the companies utilize their social power to evolve. The two major soda companies are constantly head to head with one another, yet it is what they do that sets them apart.
I believe that alcohol taxes should be raised in order to reduce the frequency of alcohol abuse. A sharp increase in taxes has been shown to decrease the number of alcohol abusers. Instituting these tax increases could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars annually.
Mark Bittman’s article, “Taxing Sugar to Fund a city,” emphasizes that on one hand, the taxation of sugar sweetened beverages would be a bonus. On the other hand it could continue to not be supported by the people and government. Taxation of sugar sweetened beverages is being considered in many different places throughout the world. The taxation was becoming a failure everywhere, until it worked for the first time in several cities. Cites such as Northern California, San Francisco, Albany and Richmond. These cities opened up their ideas to this new type of taxation, once those places became supportive many others begin to also be supportive of this new taxation. Philadelphia plans to use the taxes received for the needy, community schools, public parks, recreation centers and libraries. Some cities support using the money this way rather than using the tax for safe free drinking water like in Berkley and Mexico. Taxed products
you are on the wrong path a 20 oz. serving of Coke contains 240 calories, compared with 200 calories in a 16oz. size; for people who drink a soda a day or a week, That can add up to 14,600 calories a year. So you can gain 4lbs of weight gain each year if you continue to drink 16oz. a day or even twice a week. There are companies that are mad about this because it can make their business bad and make others better because they can simply not sell 16oz. of soda to a individual but, they probably don’t even realize that each time they sell a product they are making them gain weight and making them unhealthy. These companies don’t care about your health they just care about making money and moving on while we are over here drinking and eating stuff that’s not good for
The taxation directly helps Philadelphia’s children with their public education and attendant resources. Business distributors have to pay sweetened beverages directly to city. Public education does not have enough state and federal budgets that will cover children’s lunches, after school programs, tutoring services, textbooks, etc. As a result, charter schools are now more prevalent in Philadelphia than before, and sums parents are willing to pay for a richer educational experience chock-full of resources for their children. That said, however, Philadelphia stands as the poorest big city with the worst poverty in the United States. Hence, while some parents have the means to send their children to charter schools, many parents cannot afford that same privilege. Moreover, many public schools have closed throughout the city, which is devastating to both parents and their children in the area. This degenerative educational situation drove the city to create the Sugary Beverage Tax, which was recently passed and went into effect on January 1st, 2017. The Sugary Beverage Tax imposes on any non-alcoholic beverage, syrup, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, and sodas (City of Philadelphia, 2016). The taxation revenue comes from businesses within the city and is designed to help fund education. Specifically, the Sugary Beverage Tax will impose a 1.5 cents per ounce
A majority of people consume soda on a daily basis. Some might drink more than others, but they are all probably aware of the health risks. Unfortunately, sodas are extremely toxic. It can cause obesity, diabetes and other health risks. Even though soda quenches your thirst and tastes really good, it shouldn’t be a reason to drink it all the time.
While a fat tax may sound like a good idea to combat obesity, there are many complex problems that need to be addressed. Is a fat tax really fair to everyone? Consumers may avoid the fat tax by simply switching to overeating healthier foods. A high tax on unhealthier foods would not only punish the overweight but also the consumers that live healthier lifestyles. Some unhealthier foods such as salt and sugar are often used as preservatives.
Recently, Cook County, Illinois, the county that Chicago occupies, repealed their junk food tax after only two months. While the tax might decrease obesity, it comes at a very large cost, which is our state should not have a junk food tax. There should be no junk food tax because it would not completely solve the obesity problem, it would negatively impact the junk food industry and retailers that sell these products, and because most consumers are not in favor of the tax. The obesity problem is a complex issue that requires more than taxation to solve. The junk food industry and retailers’ sales would drop.
We are all familiar with sugar. It is sweet, delicious, and addictive; yet only a few of us know that it is deadly. When it comes to sugar, it seems like most people are in the mind frame knowing that it could be bad for our health, but only a few are really taking the moderate amounts. In fact, as a whole population, each and everyone of us are still eating about 500 extra calories per day from sugar. Yes, that seems like an exaggerated number judging from the tiny sweet crystals we sprinkle on our coffee, but it is not. Sugar is not only present in the form of sweets and flavourings, it is hidden in all the processed foods we eat. We have heard about the dangers of eating too much fat or salt, but we know very little about the harmful effects of consuming too much sugar. There still isn’t any warnings about sugar on our food labels, nor has there been any broadcasts on the serious damages it could do to our health. It has come to my concern during my research that few
Does anyone have habit of chewing or smoke tobacco? Tobacco was made from one kind of plant leaves, but it is dangerous to health. Uses of tobacco were still in all over the world, but many countries passed laws to try to reduce tobacco use (Smoking). “In the United States, a variety of federal, state, and local laws restrict the sale, use, and advertising of tobacco products, however, government organizations and individuals who have been harmed by cigarette smoke have also used the courts to attack the tobacco industry” (Smoking). They made the rule, but then also people did not follow it. Most of the developing country sells tobacco openly; they gave cigarette
Manitoba, a place knew for adoring new and high taxes, refused to add junk food taxes because they knew that it was going to be a waste of time and there would not be any positive results (5). The many studies of junk food taxes have soon other countries that it is not going to work. People will find other alternative to get the sugary high they need. A study in a small city showed that soda intake decreased for a small amount of time and then it increased again, as well as the sales on beer increased (Luciani P.