New York City is Taking Us Back to 1984 with Its Soda Tax
New York City may institute an 18% sales tax on soda and other sugary drinks in order to combat growing obesity in the City–right now, one in four New Yorkers is obese. The new policy would create over $400 million per year in revenue. Officials say the money will go to creating health programs. The tax seems more like a way for the city to score extra cash while getting kudos for feigning health conscious policy. The tax is also ridiculously unfriendly to businesses and goes so far as to be big-brotherish.
We still suffer from extreme taxes on cigarettes and alcohol, and adding soda to the list makes me question where will these “sin” taxes end. How about taxing peanut butter and chocolate for their fat content? How about ticketing parents who feed their children Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes for breakfast? The free market will dissolve completely if this keeps up. Parents will be charged for abuse and neglect if their kids are caught with a popsicle or slice of pie. In fact, in the UK, officials are already discussing taking obese children away from their parents (link). Scary.
Still, many are happy that because the tax idea gives educators and nutritionists reason to have public debate about the evils of calorie dense, nutrient light foodstuffs like soda:
“It’s an interesting experiment and one that’s worth trying,” said Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. “The theory behind this approach is that it worked for cigarettes, and that soft drinks are demonstrably related to obesity in children.”
The New York Times
The thing is, heavily taxing cigarettes did not kick America’s habit–public education about its health consequences did. Taxing cigarettes just made it more difficult for poorer people to buy them. They still smoked, but it cost them more to keep up the habit like they once did. Maybe they smoked less, but it is conceivable that they took money from their food budget to pay for their addiction. Who does that help? Education is the way to go, not taxes and punishment for having choices. Taxing soda may be just as useless as the tax on cigarettes, and at a rate of 18% it is verging on unethical. Because, an 18% tax is not nudging people toward a healthier lifestyle, it is social control.
By punishing the consumer for buying unhealthy items (and, by extension, the businesses that created them), the government is limiting freedom of choice. Turning soda into a luxury item would be kicking the poor when they are already down. By taxing soda, the New York City limits the pursuit of happiness via soda to wealthier people. It’s not fair, and it’s against the ideals of our constitution.
It’s part of why we suck, but having the freedom to be fat is also what makes us great. It’s bad for our health, but the freedom to be fat is a right Americans should be proud of.
I’d really love to hear what everyone has to say about this tax proposal. Do you think it would be effective? Is it ethical? Is New York City going too far with its health policy proposals or not going far enough?
December 19, 2008
Tags: nutrition, obesity, policy, soda, taxes Posted in: Health, Politics
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