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Soda Tax?

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Sarahfaster
Sarahfaster Posts: 29 Member
in Debate Club
Do you think there should be a tax on sweet beverages like soda? or maybe even juice?
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  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    For what purpose?
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Sarahfaster wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    For what purpose?

    If we tax soda/other sweet beverages we would make it harder for people to purchase them and hopefully encourage people to not drink sugary drinks anymore

    Why do you feel people should not drink sugary drinks?
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    Sarahfaster wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Sarahfaster wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    For what purpose?

    If we tax soda/other sweet beverages we would make it harder for people to purchase them and hopefully encourage people to not drink sugary drinks anymore

    Why do you feel people should not drink sugary drinks?

    Sugary drinks like soda and juice have A LOT of sugar in them. Women can have at MOST 25 grams of sugar a day and a 12-ounce coke has 39 grams of sugar in it. Americans have an obesity epidemic which is linked to the high sugar intake in our diets. If we impose a soda tax we could be drastically reducing the amount of soda intake and hopefully lower obesity rates.

    Is it really?

    Or is it just due to the general idea that people eat more (because the food environment is changing and we have easy access to foods that are calorie laden and hyperpalatable) and move less?

    Perhaps there should be an obesity tax - it might make people do something about their weight. Or a "fitness incentive", including weight/bf% measures, to encourage everyone to get and stay healthy in a positive way
  • DoubleUbea
    DoubleUbea Posts: 1,115 Member
    edited July 2018
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    .
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    edited July 2018
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    I don't think sugar is the big bad It's currently being made out to be (in absence of medical conditions). If you are consuming so much that it crowds out needed nutrients, then that's worth addressing, but still not the fault of sugar. That's personal responsibility.

    I also don't think that a sugar tax is going to stop people from drinking it, if that's what they choose to do. On the other hand, I do think that if a can of Coke/Pepsi cost $200 we would find fewer people claiming to be addicted to it.
  • DoubleUbea
    DoubleUbea Posts: 1,115 Member
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    Did taxes stop people from buying alcohol or tobacco?
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    mram3582 wrote: »
    See, I am not advocating for or against any form of sugar...I am asking a simple economics question. Why should there be a discussion on whether or not to implement a tax on something that we are already subsidizing as a taxpayer?

    I think it’s a fair question. There’s a VERY long thread in debate called “Should Junk Food Be Taxed” (sorry cant link it as I’m on the app but you might be able to search and find it) where there was extensive discussion about the complexity of implementing such a tax, what the money should be used for, and the overall economics of such policies. I know corn subsidies were discussed but I don’t recall any details of the opinions.

    I don’t think you’re going to get much of a complex macro economic discussion out of this thread it seems more like the kind where some popular blog articles and infographics will be referenced and then it will quickly die out...

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