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Soda Tax?
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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Replies
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For what purpose?0
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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 anymore7 -
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?3 -
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.23 -
The obesity epidemic comes from too many calories, period, regardless of the source. Excess added sugar can be problematic, but so can excess in any other food that puts a person over their calorie target. Can you cite the source for your 25 g sugar limit?
@AnvilHead do you happen to have the chart showing the trends for obesity plotted against sugar intake handy?13 -
They recently implemented this in Philadelphia and I don't think they really saw a difference in purchases. Just like the bag tax in MD. People are still going to buy their juice and soda, I'd be more concerned with properly educating children about health to make a bigger impact.6
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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 way3 -
We subsidize corn with taxpayer money....which the companies use to make cheap sweeteners like corn syrup. Why would you implement a tax on something to make it more expensive when we already have a tax to make it cheaper?
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WinoGelato wrote: »The obesity epidemic comes from too many calories, period, regardless of the source. Excess added sugar can be problematic, but so can excess in any other food that puts a person over their calorie target. Can you cite the source for your 25 g sugar limit?
@AnvilHead do you happen to have the chart showing the trends for obesity plotted against sugar intake handy?
Many sources would say the same for the daily sugar intake, The American Heart Association says, " For most American women, this is no more than 100 calories per day and no more than 150 calories per day for men (or about 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons per day for men)." http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Sugar-101_UCM_306024_Article.jsp#.W0VJ2thKjVo
And I would agree with you, calories do have a big impact on obesity rates. However, many of those calories are coming from sugar. Plus sugar raises insulin levels throughout the body and can raise the risk of type 2 diabetes.20 -
WinoGelato wrote: »The obesity epidemic comes from too many calories, period, regardless of the source. Excess added sugar can be problematic, but so can excess in any other food that puts a person over their calorie target. Can you cite the source for your 25 g sugar limit?
@AnvilHead do you happen to have the chart showing the trends for obesity plotted against sugar intake handy?
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WinoGelato wrote: »The obesity epidemic comes from too many calories, period, regardless of the source. Excess added sugar can be problematic, but so can excess in any other food that puts a person over their calorie target. Can you cite the source for your 25 g sugar limit?
@AnvilHead do you happen to have the chart showing the trends for obesity plotted against sugar intake handy?
I can't seem to find your chart online when I search the source, although I'd encourage you to check out this website: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sugary-drinks-fact-sheet/9 -
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.4 -
Sarahfaster wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »The obesity epidemic comes from too many calories, period, regardless of the source. Excess added sugar can be problematic, but so can excess in any other food that puts a person over their calorie target. Can you cite the source for your 25 g sugar limit?
@AnvilHead do you happen to have the chart showing the trends for obesity plotted against sugar intake handy?
I can't seem to find your chart online when I search the source, although I'd encourage you to check out this website: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sugary-drinks-fact-sheet/
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2015/11/carbohydrate-sugar-and-obesity-in.html
As to the original question, I'm not in favor of "sin taxes" of any kind. It smacks of nanny state-ism to me.12 -
Did taxes stop people from buying alcohol or tobacco?4
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DoubleUbea wrote: »Did taxes stop people from buying alcohol or tobacco?
Yes! Taxes on cigarettes plus the wave of anti-tobacco advertisements drastically reduced the number of smokers12 -
NO, the wave of anti-tabacco advertisements drastically reduced the number of smokers. The tax had nothing to do with it. I worked in a store once, each time they raised the price people would always say, "Next time they raise it I am going to quit." but the next time taxes went up, they came right it and picked up a pack.
People didn't care about the price, they wanted their smokes, people will want their soda.7 -
DoubleUbea wrote: »NO, the wave of anti-tabacco advertisements drastically reduced the number of smokers. The tax had nothing to do with it. I worked in a store once, each time they raised the price people would always say, "Next time they raise it I am going to quit." but the next time taxes went up, they came right it and picked up a pack.
People didn't care about the price, they wanted their smokes, people will want their soda.
Not sure why you asked if you already "knew" the answer lol. I'd encourage you to look at this source: https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0146.pdf11 -
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?8
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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...2 -
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It's never been proven to be effective as it doesn't address the root cause - surplus calories.4
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People who care about managing their weight and know how will choose lower calorie foods and drinks on their own if the information is available.
I don't think taxes to punish or manipulate people for their food or drink choices is healthy. I think education, good role models and positive reinforcement does more good long term for a healthier society. I think emphasizing that sugar makes people fat fools people into thinking weight management is about type of food not calories and keeps people fat and frustrated.
I am not a soda drinker. It does not impact me personally but I still think a soda tax is the wrong way to promote health.3 -
You aren't the soda police. People will buy it if they want it, tax or no.4
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The first US tax on "sugar-sweetened beverages" was in Berkeley in 2015. Last April, there was a study showing that there was a decrease in SSB sales of 9.6%, although they take care to note that we still need more research in a wider variety of areas.
And what could the tax money be used for? Healthcare? I wouldn't hate that.
Just a thought!3 -
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.
Sugar consumption as well as carbohydrate consumption has been on the decline for a good 30 years...while obesity continues to rise. The obesity epidemic is due to vast over-consumption of calories in any form and increasingly sedentary lifestyles.
A tax won't decrease consumption of sugary drinks...that's been done with alcohol, etc and it doesn't change behavior.4 -
Sarahfaster wrote: »DoubleUbea wrote: »Did taxes stop people from buying alcohol or tobacco?
Yes! Taxes on cigarettes plus the wave of anti-tobacco advertisements drastically reduced the number of smokers
The tax didn't really do anything...advertisements and frankly public opinion has more to do with the reduction in smoking than anything else...that and if you're a smoker, you're basically ostracized to some small corner of a far off parking lot somewhere...3 -
Just heard on the radio that soda sales were down and snack sales were UP. Robbing soda to pay for chips. Taxing soda is not a cure for obesity. Taxing ciggies and alcohol is not a cure for alcoholism and lung cancer. It doesn't matter how pretentious or self-righteous we become. It doesn't matter how much order must be imposed in all of the food and drink chaos.
I hold these things to be self-evident. We must all take responsibility for ourselves. There are only choices and consequences. With all of the fomenting food revolution we have going on not one single new food protocol or food program has found the miracle cure for obesity. They promise the moon but they all fall short. If we closed all of the juice, beer, whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, tequila and soda factories down humans would find a substitute.
There's really nothing new under the sun. We've been through all of this before.
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