NY Guv Seeks 'Obesity Tax' on Soft Drinks

Less obese, less diabetic America just a couple of laws away

(NEWSER) - The cigarette tax "was the biggest health care breakthrough in the last 40 years in the United States," and its successor may be the 18% tax on non-diet soda New York Gov. David Patterson is pitching, writes Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times. Not only do empty calories in soda contribute significantly to the obesity epidemic, but soft drinks even have a lung cancer equivalent: diabetes, which helps kill 200,000 Americans a year. More»

David Lazarus: It's time to stop the obesity epidemic

(NEWSER) - The obesity news just keeps getting worse, the latest example being the study warning that 4 in 10 American adults could be obese in less than 20 years. "Americans eat too damn much," writes David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times . And though it may be distasteful to get government involved in our dinners, it's become necessary: It's clear that "millions of Americans can't be trusted to look after their own well-being," while everybody else gets stuck with their health bills. More»

(NEWSER) - The soda tax is a great idea, and its probable death at the hands of lobbyists serves to highlight all the problems with our tax system, writes David Leonhardt in the New York Times. The current system doesn’t raise enough money, and it’s “complex in all the wrong ways,” a vast labyrinth of deductions, subsidies, and extra taxes devoid of logic. More»

A few cents on every can could improve health

(NEWSER) - With health care reform expected to run the government around $1.2 trillion, Congress is looking for ways to pay for it. A new idea bouncing around Capitol Hill is a soda tax, reports the Wall Street Journal. “Soda is clearly one of the most harmful products in the food supply, and it's something government should discourage the consumption of,” says a public interest advocate. More»

Tax on soda will help state coffers, rising obesity

(NEWSER) - Two things in France keep getting bigger: the deficit and the nation's waistline . To fight both simultaneously, a new "cola tax" will go into effect on New Year's Day, reports Der Spiegel . The tax will be a little more than a penny per can on Coke and other soft drinks, and industry insiders warn the move could eventually result in a 35% increase in prices. The government expects the tax to bring in $156 million in extra revenue. Denmark and Hungary have launched similar "fat taxes" on a wider range of products. More»