Essay On Soda Tax

Obesity in the US is considered an epidemic. According to the Weekly Standard, “Obesity is the new smoking.” They go on to say that “health researchers at Harvard have discovered that obesity is ‘associated’ with 112,000 deaths in the United States every year.” One way lawmakers are trying to combat the problem is by creating a soda tax. Based on the available statistics, a soda tax would be beneficial to the waistline of the average American and the health care system.
The soda tax, also known as a sugar tax, is being proposed as a tax on sugary beverages designed to reduce consumption. A similar tax was created to reduce the amount of smoking. The Weekly Standard reported, “An increase of $1.25 in tobacco taxes saves more than 37,000 lives and $5 billion in health care costs.” Could a tax on beverages be as effective? The Weekly Standard estimates that “Paterson's 18 percent tax on sugary soft drinks will reduce consumption by 5 percent.” In addition, according to Veronique de Rugy, “Five experts on health and economics insisted that a penny-per-ounce tax on sugared beverages could lead the average consumer to reduce soda consumption by about 10 percent and lose two pounds.” The available data suggests a soda tax would be effective in reducing sugary beverage consumption.

The article then explains that the soda tax would add 50 percent to the price of a two-liter and 45 percent to a 12-can case. Therefore, a soda tax would certainly reduce consumption. Furthermore, the tax revenue could be quite useful. A team of doctors, scientists, and policy makers, like the New York City health commissioner, Thomas Farley, and Arkansas surgeon general, Joseph W. Thompson, predict that a sugar tax “would raise $14.9 billion in its first year, which could be spent on health care initiatives”