- Maria's Farm Country Kitchen
Tomato Week: It’s Perennial Love!
There’s romance, drama, mystery…and plenty of lycopene... Read More
Delicious
StumbleUpon
Digg
Magnolia
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
soda tax
Soda Tax May Have Obama's Support
Calls for a tax on sugary drinks are on the rise; the president hinted at his support in a summer interview with Men's Health magazine.
Cut back on sugar-sweetened drinks altogether, and choose filtered tap water, coffee, tea, or other naturally low-calorie beverages.
Making that soda a little more expensive may offset its unhealthy effects.
RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Yet another report is out today advocating a sugar tax to help curb the obesity, heart disease, and diabetes epidemics in the United States. The idea has been kicked around for some time now, and although a recent plan to significantly tax sugar-sweetened beverages in New York fell through, the idea of a soda tax does appear to appeal to some pretty powerful people, including President Barack Obama. In an interview with Men's Health magazine at the end of July, this is what he had to say: "I actually think it's an idea that we should be exploring. There's no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda." You can read more of the interview on Menshealth.com.
THE DETAILS: The latest health policy report on taxing sugar-sweetened drinks appears online today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The report's authors cite numerous studies (not funded by the beverage industry) showing an association between sugar-sweetened beverages and health problems. For instance, a look at more than 91,000 women tracked for eight years in the Nurses' Health Study II shows those who drank one or more sugary drinks a day nearly doubled their risk of developing diabetes, when compared to those drinking one or fewer sugar-sweetened beverages per month.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are drinks that contain added, naturally derived caloric sweeteners such as sucrose (known as table sugar), high-fructose corn syrup, or fruit-juice concentrates. All have similar metabolic effects that seem to be contributing to the skyrocketing overweight and obesity rates in the country, which strain the healthcare system. Medical costs associated with overweight and obesity are near $150 billion a year, nearly 10 percent of total U.S. healthcare expenditures. Half of these are paid through the government's Medicare and Medicaid programs.
The researchers in today's report recommend a penny-per-ounce excise tax on drinks containing added sugars or other calorie-boosting sweeteners. They say for every 10-percent increase in price, consumption will drop 8 percent. They also theorize that a national tax of one cent per ounce on sugar-sweetened beverages would generate nearly $15 billion in the first year alone, which could be directed toward childhood-nutrition programs, obesity-prevention programs, or health care for the uninsured. And if lowered consumption leads to lower rates of obesity, a drop in the nation's healthcare costs may also result.
WHAT IT MEANS: This is the latest in a wave of reports recommending the government—be it state or federal—significantly tax sugar-sweetened beverages. But the beverage industry is not taking the threat lightly, and has reportedly pumped $2 billion into its Americans Against Food Taxes campaign, which largely consists of grocery- and beverage- and packaging-industry members. However, polls have shown the majority of the public supports a beverage tax, as long as the revenue is used to support programs for the prevention of obesity in children and adults.
Published on November 30th, 2008
Last updated on March 11th, 2010
Related Stories
2008-2009 Copyright Rodale. All Rights Reserved. Your Privacy Rights
The information presented on this website is not intended as specific medical advice and is not
a substitute for professional medical treatment or diagnosis.
Read our Medical Advice Notice.
I am in favor of the
I am in favor of the landlord's point of view, great merit. By the way, the recent several years, the five finger shoes and Christian Louboutin NFL jerseys hair straighteners ugg boots are very popular, we might as well enjoy their beauty .
I am all for this tax and I
I am all for this tax and I drink quite a bit of diet cola. I wouldn't even mind if diet soda got taxed as well as it might make me think before I drink it.
I also would love to see more tax on junk food and liquor, cigarettes and chewing tobacco.
If I ran the show, I would tax all churches, too.
Tax on soda pop
I am all for this tax and I drink quite a bit of diet cola. I wouldn't even mind if diet soda got taxed as well as it might make me think before I drink it.
I also would love to see more tax on junk food and liquor, cigarettes and chewing tobacco.
If I ran the show, I would tax all churches, too.
Sugar Tax.. HELP! Protect me from myself!
Shame on Rodale for advocating this. You advocate a healthy lifestyle, healthy diet, healthy excercise so leave it at that. Let PEOPLE decide.
Kids drink to many soda's? Well, let parents be parents! Kids I know that drink very few to none are responsible, and have been taught to make responsible decisions. Simply put, they have learned they should WANT to do the right thing for themselves, not waiting for the government to come with a solution for every ill. "It's not my fault mom.. why doesn't the government do something about it"... or Mom or Dad is saying the same because they don't want to be the bad cops.
I use Gatorade during cycling and running sports. It is a NEED. I never drink it otherwise. So why should I pay more tax for others irresponsibility?
Rodale should ad RESPONSIBLE lifestyle to their list of advocacy.
Sugar tax
This is ridiculous. We don't need any more taxes. A penny per ounce of drink? What if a certain beverage has less added sugar than another? If health is the reason for the tax, then the one with less added sugar should be taxed less. After all, it would be the healthier choice. Tax even fruit-juice sweetened beverages? What about the other nutrients that come with the fruit juice, such as vitamin C, phytochemicals, and anti-oxidants? This tax is a lousy idea.
Emotional reactions
I'm seeing some real emotional reactions here on what appears to be Rodale's reporting on the possibility of Obama advocating the sugar tax.
When I was in school, reporting on something didn't mean advocating it.
If Rodale ignored the situation and didn't report it, they wouldn't be doing anyone any favors.Playing ostrich is not going to make all this political foofraw go away. If anything, ignoring developments will only make things worse.
We need to be thinking and planning. Emotionally attacking the messenger is pointless.
Sugar tax
In general, the last thing I'm in favor of is more taxes. I'm equally against government interference in every aspect of our lives.
As taxes go, the sugar tax doesn't offend me that much. Adults will still drink sugary drinks if they want at that rate.
Even if children still drink sugary drinks at that rate I do see the value of educating youth in regard to health.
I am an obese adult. However,I have not always been obese. The increase in obesity and resulting complications at a young age really concerns me.
When I was a child, sodas were a treat, not an everyday thing. By the time I was a teenager, I drank too many sodas.
I would like to think that if I had received more education about diet, and exercise at an earlier age I wouldn't be obese now.
I'm certainly willing to contribute pennies on my sodas to help the current generation.
Obama mouthpeice - Rodale
What a bummer to see the Rodale name go down in credibility by becoming an Obama organ. I was going to unsubscribe but I really am curious now, how far this will go.
As to the daily propaganda release from Rodale on the sugar tax, I would point out that taxes are initiated in congress not in the executive branch. At least they were when the US was governed by laws and not men.
Soda Tax
F this! I reject the slippery slope to communism! Too much has been put in place by Washington which has all the signs of a landslide toward the latter. Forbid it one and all!!!
Lapdogs and empty promises
Was it not Obama that PROMISED no taxes, not a dime, on ANYONE who makes under $200,000 per year?
It REALLY bums me out that RODALE publications is now showing itself as a lapdog for Obama.
Whatever happened to education to change peoples eating habits?
If you wish to be a left wing political magazine, then change the name of your publication. There are alternatives to Mens Health magazine!
Soda Tax
Has increasing taxes on cigarettes decreased the number of smokers? If not, why would this work? Maybe just reducing government pensions to a reasonable level would be more appropriate. Heck while we are at it we should pay the government for the quality of their work and if their work isn't up to par we fire them without benefits of any sort.
Tax this !
I am not much of a soda drinker myself, but what they say will eventually cause another Boston Tea Party. Everything that we buy & use is taxed in some form or another. I say that we should charge the Government for useless spending, then they can have a taste of what they do to us. It's all that my family can do to keep a roof over our heads, the economy is not improving. Just ask those of us that can barely make ends meet. Another type of tax is going to hurt, not help the American people.
Tax on sweet drinks
Soft drinks aren't good for the health but so are a lot of things. The government is looking for new ways to tax us. After soda, what will be next, white flour then bicycles? So much of our tax dollars are wasted on pork. Why doesn't the government stop wasteful spending? We don't need more taxes, we need honest, thrifty spending govenment officials. See 9/17/09, USA Today's newspaper regarding federal money from taxes given to little used airports for private planes. This is only a drop in the bucket! Outrageous! Balance the budget by cutting spending and out with all the PORK that few of us know about!
Sugar drink tax
One penny an ounce will never change behavior in very many people. It took one nickle per cigarette before the cigarette tax had any signifcant effect. At such a miniscule tax rate it will only be a tax fund genrator and that is not the purpose. Two more dimes for a 20 oz soft drink will not slow anybody down for long. One penny per onnce is a cop out.