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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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7

Utah Considers Caffeine Tax

Legislators consider tithing both soda and coffee

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(Newser) – After seeing multiple proposals to raise the tax on cigarettes fail, one Utah legislator has set his sights on another addictive substance: caffeine. Rep. Craig Frank has initiated a yearlong study on the impact of such a tax, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. If it can fly anywhere, Utah might be the place. The Mormon church already frowns on "hot drinks."

Frank had initially intended to cover only caffeinated sodas but has since come to consider all forms of the substance. He sees it as a logical extension of the effort to tax smokers. "We're going after people who have problems with addiction for a revenue stream, only caffeine would be one that is more broad-based," he said.

Viennese coffee is prepared at the Austrian-style Cafe Sabarsky in New York, Wednesday, March 4, 2009.
Viennese coffee is prepared at the Austrian-style Cafe Sabarsky in New York, Wednesday, March 4, 2009.   (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton drinks Turkish coffee during the taping of a talk show for the Turkish news channel NTV in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, March 7, 2009.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton drinks Turkish coffee during the taping of a talk show for the Turkish news channel NTV in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, March 7, 2009.   (AP Photo/Osman Orsal, Pool)
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TerrifiedCitizen
Mar 13, 09 12:29 PM CDT
I'm rather doubtful that the cigarette tax has had significant impact on quelling nicotine addiction; it has just made native Americans rich as tax-free smoke shops sprang up all over the landscape... and then had the added feature of causing more addiction to gambling because the casinos followed. Before a caffeine tax can be justified, there must be a definitive study indicating that it's the caffeine that's causing ill health effects where the results aren't being skewed by the consumption of other harmful and abusive substances. Too many caffeine consumers are also addicted to nicotine, alcohol, sugar, dangerous sugar substitutes and a myriad of other harmful habits. Reply
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Derni
Mar 13, 09 12:34 PM CDT
And lets put a tax on other substances that affect our health negatively. Reply
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Rob
Mar 13, 09 3:14 PM CDT
Um, that's what they do.
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Doctor_Zaius
Mar 13, 09 4:40 PM CDT
Maybe they should tax their magic underwear? Reply
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riffran
Mar 13, 09 8:25 PM CDT
Geez...New york is proposing the "soda" tax I think, now Utah with the caffeine tax, whats next, oxygen tax, wind and rain tax, the return of the window tax?.......*sigh* Reply
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