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Should junk food be taxed?
Replies
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The people who made the constitution could not have imagined how things would be today. Life is fluid and adjustments must be made. So stop with privacy this and constitution that. Entitled to Cheetos. Wake up, America.
Stupid Constitution! I love my little red food card. And oh yeah. NO CHEETOS!!!
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Stop complaining about privacy. Unless you have something to hide, you don't need it. It would help so many people. They either don't understand how to eat well or they cannot stop themselves from making bad choices. And think of all the kids being raised by people who give them cookies as treats, children who see bad examples all day long. A sugar tax isn't even close to enough to get this country healthy.
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WinoGelato wrote: »
Interesting that a person banging on about people who have nothing to hide shouldn't be concerned about privacy, yet has their profile set to private...
It's a shame you don't have an open diary so we can all see a good example of healthy eating...
We should bribe the hacker sitting in the basement in his underwear to stop trying to steal Carlos' identity and break into Zipp's food diary instead. I bet she's hiding Oreos.3 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Can't wait 'til I start my cookie speakeasy. I am going to get SO rich.
Got to figure out the tax issue, though. That tripped up poor Capone.
Sister, I am 3 hours away, and even Capone and Dillinger relied on their friends in Indiana. You and I are totally bootlegging strawberry-rhubarb pie, jam, and assorted comestibles. I think we could even whip up some bathtub batches of strawberry-rhubarb ice cream.3 -
@Zipp237 Since this tax and card is an inevitability according to you, surely you can point to who is pushing for it in Congress? Is there a house bill or senate bill proposed? Some political action committee raising money to organize public support? Who is going to enact this thing?
I'm sure you believe it's gonna be a great card, a fantastic card...nobody creates a card like you, nobody. It's gonna be classy. And it'll give you great hair. And you're gonna make the fat people pay for that card, and make America Thin Again. Right?
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mskessler89 wrote: »
We should bribe the hacker sitting in the basement in his underwear to stop trying to steal Carlos' identity and break into Zipp's food diary instead. I bet she's hiding Oreos.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »
The idea that a tax on added sugar could pass Congress strikes me as, well, insane. Maybe someday, who knows, but it would have to prove its worth on the state level at the least.
No way guys, they are totally gonna pass a sweeping tax on products that they are subsidizing the sources of. That make so much sense, like, I just don't even know how you don't get it. Why does nobody understand this? How is it so hard?
Am I doing it right?6 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
No way guys, they are totally gonna pass a sweeping tax on products that they are subsidizing the sources of. That make so much sense, like, I just don't even know how you don't get it. Why does nobody understand this? How is it so hard?
Am I doing it right?
Is it just me, or does that sound exactly like the kind of stupidity that gov't employs regularly?2 -
Is it just me, or does that sound exactly like the kind of stupidity that gov't employs regularly?
Unfortunately, you're right. However, I suspect that there would be enough dissenting voices that such a thing would get narrowly capped before passing into part of the tax code. There are still a lot of ag heavy states that would get their collective *kitten* pushed in by such a measure, if consumption dropped off but so hard. That, and greased palms.0 -
Nobody is telling anyone what to buy, just that it must be healthy. Think of it like insurance. You're required to buy it but nobody tells you which one to buy. You still have your freedom, but you're making better choices because the card won't let you make too many bad ones.
If people want to load up on ice cream or Cheetos, they need help and should be stopped.
Possibly two of the most contradictory sentences I've ever seen in on post. "You can by whatever you want, except you really can't"
Why do I need help if I'm buying cheetos and ice cream in bulk?3 -
No, you're not exempt. You're paying the tax. Everyone is paying the tax. If you want to eat ice cream, pay it. If you don't want to cough up the cash, don't eat the ice cream.
Do you really need ice cream, anyway? No, you don't.
Do you really need internet? No, you don't.
Do you really need deoderant? No, you don't.5 -
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stephanieluvspb wrote: »
And when you graduate from high school and get a job, so will you
To be fair, there are plenty of people who don't mind the idea of higher taxes. Unfortunately, they often vote in numbers high enough to be able to demand that the rest of us agree with them.3 -
Fine, then the card tells you what to buy. You still get to choose though.
That's pretty sad about your parents, but we needed national healthcare so I guess that's a price we have to pay. It's a small price for the greater good, don't you think?
Stop using words you don't understand. That is not a choice. A choice is to be able to buy what ever I want when I want. If it stops me from purchasing anything it is not a choice then.
No. And how the hell is this healthcare any good? Mom mother would pay over $400 a MONTH plus she would still have to pay for all her visits. And have a crazy high deductible.
I guess your okay as long as someone else makes the scraffic huh? Well guess what my mother will be going in to the system then because that's what we can afford. So is it really better?3 -
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It would have to be done by states, I think. I don't know the percentage but it would have to be low at first so people wouldn't whine too much about having to pay taxes and freedom and all that nutty stuff. It will get raised over time and if you ask me, it cannot be raised high enough. Let the people eating the Oreos pay for the healthcare.
I believed you were for real until this last statement. Now I don't. No way.
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My favourite part was the "why worry about privacy if you don't have anything to hide"
Warrant, what warrant? Come on in. Search my place.2 -
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No! We pay enough taxes.0
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Packerjohn wrote: »
No junk food is taxed like any other food like lettuce, apples, etc in most states. I'd assume the op is talking about something more than the regular sales tax.
When I go shopping my whole food is not taxed because it is a necessity i.e. Veggies fruits meats canned items. Food like chips, sodas, candies and pre made deli items have a sales tax placed on them.0 -
ofcsfoster36 wrote: »
When I go shopping my whole food is not taxed because it is a necessity i.e. Veggies fruits meats canned items. Food like chips, sodas, candies and pre made deli items have a sales tax placed on them.
That was kind of my point with the whole thing. This is already handled on a state-by-state and locale-by-locale basis. If people in their states, cities and towns want to tax people's eating habits, let them put up pols who will do so. There's no need for this kind of thing at the federal level.2 -
ofcsfoster36 wrote: »
When I go shopping my whole food is not taxed because it is a necessity i.e. Veggies fruits meats canned items. Food like chips, sodas, candies and pre made deli items have a sales tax placed on them.
It varies by state and local governmental unit. Illinois has a 1% sales tax on most food items sold at grocery stores vs. a higher rate on restaurant meals, clothing, hardware, electronics, cars, etc.0 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
That was kind of my point with the whole thing. This is already handled on a state-by-state and locale-by-locale basis. If people in their states, cities and towns want to tax people's eating habits, let them put up pols who will do so. There's no need for this kind of thing at the federal level.
There are already federal excise taxes that apply to sales of certain items in all states. Alcohol and gasoline/diesel fuel, phone services are some common ones. A Federal excise tax on certain foods would in not be a precedent.0 -
Packerjohn wrote: »
There are already federal excise taxes that apply to sales of certain items in all states. Alcohol and gasoline/diesel fuel, phone services are some common ones. A Federal excise tax on certain foods would in not be a precedent.
I am aware. And like most Federal taxes, they are invisible to people, unless they actually go looking for the rates. At least with most state sales/sin taxes, there's some kind of point of purchase reference made. The entire spirit of this idea would be completely destroyed, if no one were actually able to tell what is taxed and what isn't, given the extremely hazy nature of the very phrase "junk food".
All fuel (except dyed off-road diesel): clear and concise.
All alcohol: clear.
All tobacco: clear.
All telecomm: clear.
All "junk food": erm...what the hell was junk food again?2 -
Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
I am aware. And like most Federal taxes, they are invisible to people, unless they actually go looking for the rates. At least with most state sales/sin taxes, there's some kind of point of purchase reference made. The entire spirit of this idea would be completely destroyed, if no one were actually able to tell what is taxed and what isn't, given the extremely hazy nature of the very phrase "junk food".
All fuel (except dyed off-road diesel): clear and concise.
All alcohol: clear.
All tobacco: clear.
All telecomm: clear.
All "junk food": erm...what the hell was junk food again?
From one of my earlier posts, I would say you label items on the shelve, similar to what most stores to with WIC eligible items and I would propose something like this for a store receipt
64 oz Cola $0.99
Federal "junk food" Tax 0.50
State/Local Sales Tax .10
Total $1.59
I would highlight the "junk food" tax in some manner for educational purposes.
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Packerjohn wrote: »
From one of my earlier posts, I would say you label items on the shelve, similar to what most stores to with WIC eligible items and I would propose something like this for a store receipt
64 oz Cola $0.99
Federal "junk food" Tax 0.50
State/Local Sales Tax .10
Total $1.59
I would highlight the "junk food" tax in some manner for educational purposes.
Right but defining what should be considered "junk food" is the tricky part. You've mentioned Cola, ok, what about Diet Coke? What food products would be subjected to the tax.
I don't think the dispute is about if the tax should be explicit on the receipt, but that the very act of narrowing down the scope of what should be taxed would be extremely difficult to gain consensus.1 -
The answer is no. Its really about control...some in the govt want more and more control over you/us. If you like that idea you are crazy.2
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WinoGelato wrote: »
Right but defining what should be considered "junk food" is the tricky part. You've mentioned Cola, ok, what about Diet Coke? What food products would be subjected to the tax.
I don't think the dispute is about if the tax should be explicit on the receipt, but that the very act of narrowing down the scope of what should be taxed would be extremely difficult impossible to gain consensus.
FIFY0
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