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Should junk food be taxed?
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I don't advocate any new taxes, and feel the government is way too involved in things they don't need to control. I suppose if it did happen, my question would be...What would the money from the tax be used for?
when has the taxing body every truly earmarked funds for a specific reason? Goes into slush fund1 -
I read last night that in response to a tax targeting 12 packs of soda and 2 litre containers, Pepsi pulled their products in one city and are working on "alternative packaging". Congratulations, a volume - based tax will result in smaller packaging and more garbage.2
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I read last night that in response to a tax targeting 12 packs of soda and 2 litre containers, Pepsi pulled their products in one city and are working on "alternative packaging". Congratulations, a volume - based tax will result in smaller packaging and more garbage.
And perhaps more profits for the sugar water industry.0 -
isabellapanzica9387 wrote: »The government not suppuses to tax necessities. Food is a necessity. Junk food is food. End of story.
If the government actually wanted to help the obesity crisis they would invest in education and infrastructure that people can walk/bike on.
I wish they felt that way about vehicle taxes too.0 -
What if we just taxed sugar content, sodium content, etc. Anything deemed "too high" in either regard gets taxed. I'm sure health scientists can figure out what is a good versus bad minimum number for sugar and sodium.0
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I think bodyfat should be taxed.3
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isabellapanzica9387 wrote: »The government not suppuses to tax necessities. Food is a necessity. Junk food is food. End of story.
If the government actually wanted to help the obesity crisis they would invest in education and infrastructure that people can walk/bike on.
Maybe if they taxed junk food, which is NOT a necessity (air is a necessity, while strawberry flavored air is not; water is a necessity, while sparkling water is not), they could afford to build the infrastructure you speak of, complete with educational signage.1 -
ButterballBookworm wrote: »What if we just taxed sugar content, sodium content, etc. Anything deemed "too high" in either regard gets taxed. I'm sure health scientists can figure out what is a good versus bad minimum number for sugar and sodium.
This proposal has also been discussed and shot down because you have fruits that are low sugar like blueberries and strawberries and fruits that are high sugar like bananas and mangoes, so do you tax the high sugar fruits and not the low sugar ones? Or, since they are fruit (and are therefore 'healthy') do you not tax them but still tax items that contain less sugar per serving but are still considered 'high' sugar? Same goes for salt content - there are studies out that say salt is bad and studies that say we don't eat enough salt, so which studies do we base the taxes on (i.e. which study is correct and which government agency gets to make the determination)???3 -
JustinAnimal wrote: »isabellapanzica9387 wrote: »The government not suppuses to tax necessities. Food is a necessity. Junk food is food. End of story.
If the government actually wanted to help the obesity crisis they would invest in education and infrastructure that people can walk/bike on.
Maybe if they taxed junk food, which is NOT a necessity (air is a necessity, while strawberry flavored air is not; water is a necessity, while sparkling water is not), they could afford to build the infrastructure you speak of, complete with educational signage.
So anything not sold in its natural state is 'junk food' now?1 -
Packerjohn wrote: »caroldavison332 wrote: »no. we pay too much in taxes already and it won't dissuade people from eating it. Look what they pay for cigarettes.
Look at how much smoking has decreased with taxes and education over the last 30 years or so.
Tax away. Candy, sweetened drinks, chips, etc if the money is earmarked for education and treatment of obesity related issues
That's the problem, it's NEVER earmarked for just education. Once they(politicians) get their hands on the tax money, it's spent on whatever they want. Besides, Big Brother does NOT need to be in anymore parts of our lives! Whatever happened to "Personal Responsibility". I don't need another politician telling me how to live. Good or bad choices, the choices should still be ours!
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I read last night that in response to a tax targeting 12 packs of soda and 2 litre containers, Pepsi pulled their products in one city and are working on "alternative packaging". Congratulations, a volume - based tax will result in smaller packaging and more garbage.
Most of the taxes I've seen either in effect or proposed are based on a tax per fluid ounce as opposed to how many ounces are in a container.
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JustinAnimal wrote: »isabellapanzica9387 wrote: »The government not suppuses to tax necessities. Food is a necessity. Junk food is food. End of story.
If the government actually wanted to help the obesity crisis they would invest in education and infrastructure that people can walk/bike on.
Maybe if they taxed junk food, which is NOT a necessity (air is a necessity, while strawberry flavored air is not; water is a necessity, while sparkling water is not), they could afford to build the infrastructure you speak of, complete with educational signage.
So anything not sold in its natural state is 'junk food' now?
Who said that? You, not me.
ETA: I was simply providing examples. I'm not saying that junk food SHOULD be taxed, either. Just food for thought.1 -
Rather than tax junk food (what even is that?) maybe tax people for being overweight or over a certain bf% idk. Taxing anything is just an excuse to give the government money so I'm not a fan of taxing anything but if you had to I'd tax the person not the food.0
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I don't know, I like the thought of money going to states. I think all of the marijuana legalization has done good things for schools and infrastructure... however, upon saying that, I immediately acknowledge that I have nothing other than hearsay from folks who live in those states to back up those claims.
If being morbidly obese makes me pay more money, when I am a responsible guy and keep myself in decent shape, why? Why do I pay more? I'm not for letting people die without health care, but why not tax someone who is a "drain" on the system. Doesn't seem fair, but I suppose very few things in life are.0 -
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how about making healthy food cheaper instead?0
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how about making healthy food cheaper instead?
So more subsidies to out-subsidize the crap that is currently being subsidized and causing the problems? Seems like a legit approach. Or maybe just pull a Venezuela, force the farmers to take a massive economic hit, and send them to jail over cauliflower and pear pricing? Explain to me the economics of this idea, and please back up your suggestions with a working knowledge of the Agricultural Act of 2014.
As has been illustrated repeatedly on this thread, that the more the petty bureaucrats and diktocrats mess with things, the more the overall market becomes screwed up, and the more unintended consequences are reaped.4 -
French_Peasant wrote: »how about making healthy food cheaper instead?
So more subsidies to out-subsidize the crap that is currently being subsidized and causing the problems? Seems like a legit approach. Or maybe just pull a Venezuela, force the farmers to take a massive economic hit, and send them to jail over cauliflower and pear pricing? Explain to me the economics of this idea, and please back up your suggestions with a working knowledge of the Agricultural Act of 2014.
As has been illustrated repeatedly on this thread, that the more the petty bureaucrats and diktocrats mess with things, the more the overall market becomes screwed up, and the more unintended consequences are reaped.
So what's your answer,then?1
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