It’s difficult to tax unhealthy food because it’s difficult to determine where exactly to the draw the line. A hotdog stuffed with cheese isn’t the healthiest option for the consumer, the consumed, or the planet but it’s still food that provides anyone who dares to eat it with essential nutrients… and perhaps an increased risk of having a heart attack or developing colon cancer among other diseases. However with beverages it’s easy to determine where to draw the line: anything with an added sweetener.
In terms of public health sweetened beverages are more like alcohol and cigarettes than they are “cheesedogs” therefore they should be subjected to the same types of sin tax in order to dissuade people from consuming them. Taxes should be used as a tool to incentivize behavior conducive to the health of individuals, society, and the environment and I’d say a sweetened beverage tax clearly falls into this category so if you’re city, state, or country is considering placing a tax on sweetened beverages please consider supporting it.
Berkeley’s Soda Tax Is Working And That Could Be A Game Changer
