Congress Weighs Soda Tax

(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»

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»

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»

To reduce obesity, sugary drinks banned from all city property

(NEWSER) - No more soda on Boston city property, or sports drinks or sweetened ice teas, for that matter. In an effort to reduce the city's rising obesity rates—and the soaring health costs associated with obesity— Slashfood reports that Mayor Thomas Menino has banned all sugary beverages from vending machines, cafeterias, and concession stands. “I want to create a civic environment that makes the healthier choice the easier choice in people’s lives, whether it’s schools, worksites, or other places in the community," said Menino in a press release . More»

It won't help fat people, or poor people, but will line gov't coffers

(NEWSER) - Taxing soda is at best a stupid idea and at worst a cynical ploy by a money-grubbing government, writes Katherine Mangu-Ward for Reason. Here's why:

• Sin taxes don't work: "None of the nickel-and-dime proposals on the table is large enough to discourage soda drinking," Mangu-Ward writes. "And they're not really intended to." But they will raise money.
• Other things cause obesity: "Soda does help people pack on the pounds. But so does absolutely everything everyone eats." There's no magic bullet.