Would Tax On Sugary Drinks Save Lives?
Easy Health Options Staff | Jan 16, 2012 | Comments 2
Few people doubt that our penchant for quenching thirst with sugar-filled soft drinks is making us fatter and sicker. To solve this problem, some health experts advocate taxing these drinks so that we consume less, gain fewer pounds and stay healthier.
Scientists claim that a penny-per-ounce increased tax on these drinks would result in a 15 percent reduction in the number of these beverages that people consume on a regular basis and reduce the prevalence of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Specifically, the researchers estimate that this tax would prevent 95,000 coronary deaths, 8,000 strokes and 26,000 premature deaths. It would also reduce new cases of diabetes by 2.6 percent. Combined, preventing these conditions could result in $17 billion in savings for the U.S. healthcare industry in the first 10 years.
"With the estimated number of 860,000 fewer obese adults aged 25 [to] 64, and given the greater reductions in consumption among younger people, the longer-term health benefits would be far greater than the impacts during the first 10 years," said researcher Claire Wang, M.D.
Filed Under: Diabetes Concerns • Easy Health Options News • Nutrition • Weight Loss
I totally disagree. It will only be done for the government making more money. This junk is so addictive that someone who cannot afford the tax will just steal more of it. A law against it would raise the price a lot more, which would make more profits for the cartels, and increase the crime, but it would not stop its use.
The solution is to make it all free! A few stupid people would kill themselves, but profits would drop so far it would no longer be made.
Now I would favor news reports showing how fat and ugly and sick people are who put junk in their mouth. That would at least get their attention. The more they are embarrassed they become, the less will be used.
I really don’t think this would work. Sugar is very addictive and if soft drink is your fix, you would simple fork out the extra.
Perhaps they should pay more attention to educating the masses on the negative health effects of eating sugar. Although there’s a lot of quality information out there, it’s mainly preaching to the converted.