With a little more than three months until the midterms....go for it.

Quote:Get this: Rosa DeLauro, the brave and beloved 12-term congresswoman from New Haven, will be introducing a bill in the House of Representatives Wednesday that would require a national tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.

And it’s about time. You know the big picture, even if you’ve forgotten the details, so I’m going to spare you the stats about obesity and diabetes that have been reiterated here and elsewhere ad infinitum. (If you want a refresher course, see this.) Suffice it to say that sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to obesity and diabetes, and that some form of control is needed. Many sugar-sweetened beverages contain more sugar per bottle than the American Heart Association’s recommended daily limit and the Department of Agriculture’s guidelines for sugar. (The Food and Drug Administration has not set standards for sugar consumption.)

The Obama administration made a tiny bit of noise about a soda tax back in 2009, but quickly backed off and has been silent on the subject since. For the last few years, there have been numerous attempts to get a significant (I’d call 10 percent of the price meaningful) tax on soda and other sugary drinks in a variety of cities and states. Berkeley, San Francisco and Illinois all have current initiatives, and, predicts Randy Shaw of the online daily BeyondChron, “Berkeley’s soda tax will pass.”

That’ll be forceful, because a well-crafted soda tax is likely to work to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, and therefore obesity, and therefore diabetes, and therefore health care costs, and to raise money for health education about the dangers of overconsumption of sugar.

But a national tax would be much tidier. Just eight months after it took effect, Mexico’s soda tax is starting to show positive results — consumption is down, at least — and we could expect a similar performance from DeLauro’s proposed bill. The SWEET Act (as she’s calling it) would amend the I.R.S. code and charge a penny per teaspoon of sugar, high-fructose corn syrup or other caloric sweeteners — “to be paid by the manufacturer, producer or importer of such products.” This would mean roughly a dime per can of soda, closer to 20 cents for a 20-ounce bottle or most medium-size soft drinks at restaurants. (Remember 6.5-ounce Cokes? The 20-ounce standard in part explains the obesity crisis.)


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Proceeds will go to the "Immigrants For a Stronger America Foundation"

I'm all for a national soda tax as long as we can do away with income tax.

Using taxes to control, or limit, personal decisions is immoral in my opinion. Taxing things like this and then earmarking all income for a certain reason is okay but our government just uses this to steal and limit us.

This coming from a person who doesn't drink coke etc.

Tax his land, tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.

Tax his cow, tax his goat,
Tax his pants, tax his coat.
Tax his ties, tax his shirts,
Tax his work, tax his dirt.

Tax his chew, tax his smoke,
Teach him taxes are no joke.
Tax his car, tax his grass,
Tax the roads he must pass.

Tax his food, tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his sodas, tax his beers,
If he cries, tax his tears.

Tax his bills, tax his gas,
Tax his notes, tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.

If he hollers, tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin, tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.

Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom!"
And when he's gone, we won't relax,
We'll still be after the inheritance tax.

If it moves, tax it;
if it doesn't move, subsidize it;
if it keeps moving, regulate it.

If this goes in to effect I'll buy a Soda Stream and make my own. Maybe start a little black market soda business.
hehehehehehehehehe…

Let me tell you how it will be
There's one for you, nineteen for me
Cos I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman

Should five per cent appear too small
Be thankful I don't take it all
Cos I'm the taxman, yeah I'm the taxman

If you drive a car, I'll tax the street
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet

Taxman!
Cos I'm the taxman, yeah I'm the taxman

Don't ask me what I want it for (Aahh Mr. Wilson)
If you don't want to pay some more (Aahh Mr. Heath)
Cos I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman

Now my advice for those who die
Declare the pennies on your eyes
Cos I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman

And you're working for no one but me
Taxman!

Are soft drink bottlers union jobs?

(07-30-2014 04:45 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Using taxes to control, or limit, personal decisions is immoral in my opinion. Taxing things like this and then earmarking all income for a certain reason is okay but our government just uses this to steal and limit us.

This coming from a person who doesn't drink coke etc.

If the tax has the desired impact, then people will drink less sodas thus reducing the tax money for whatever government program that was leaching off it. And if soda sales are reduced then the soda companies will make less of it and need fewer people to do, thus layoffs. And of course, if you're any way invested in the soda companies then you also get hosed. The good news is that fat people will just find another way to be fat.

I could almost get behind this. Almost. If there was some other way to decrease the amount of sugar in our consumables I'd be for that because sugar is a killer...

(07-30-2014 08:43 PM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote:  I could almost get behind this. Almost. If there was some other way to decrease the amount of sugar in our consumables I'd be for that because sugar is a killer...

Thats the problem, they think theyll accomplish something by taxing sodas, but even if people drink less soda, they just get their sugar fix from other products that are just as unhealthy.

At the end of the day people just need to educate themselves on having a proper diet in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Taxes paid to have the luxury to be taxed on our soda.....

(07-30-2014 04:50 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  Tax his land, tax his wage,- Taxes paid on the land where the sugar or corn syrup was grown. Taxes paid on the land/building where it was manufactured into a drink. Taxes paid on the land/building where it was sold. Taxes also paid on the income that you use to bu the drink.
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, tax his mule,- Taxes paid on the equipment to harvest the sugar/corn syrup, to make the drink, and to store the product.
Teach him taxes is the rule.

Tax his cow, tax his goat,
Tax his pants, tax his coat.
Tax his ties, tax his shirts,- Can't go out in public naked, can we?
Tax his work, tax his dirt.

Tax his chew, tax his smoke,
Teach him taxes are no joke.
Tax his car, tax his grass, - Shipping, personal vehicle to go to the store.
Tax the roads he must pass.

Tax his food, tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his sodas, tax his beers,
If he cries, tax his tears.

Tax his bills, tax his gas, - Shipping, gas to go buy the soda
Tax his notes, tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.

If he hollers, tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin, tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.

Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom!"
And when he's gone, we won't relax,
We'll still be after the inheritance tax.

Idk what type of tax breaks farms and manufacturers get, so I may be pushing it here.

Of course, consumption of sugar-free diet sodas is also linked to obesity and diabetes. And fruit juices too, even the unsweetened ones.

(07-30-2014 04:43 PM)oklalittledixie Wrote:  Proceeds will go to the "Immigrants For a Stronger America Foundation"

Shouldn't that be "Illegal Immigrants"?

I do not like the federal government, hey NSA don't arrest me.

(07-30-2014 08:46 PM)ODUChm Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 08:43 PM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote:  I could almost get behind this. Almost. If there was some other way to decrease the amount of sugar in our consumables I'd be for that because sugar is a killer...

Thats the problem, they think theyll accomplish something by taxing sodas, but even if people drink less soda, they just get their sugar fix from other products that are just as unhealthy.

At the end of the day people just need to educate themselves on having a proper diet in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Yep.


Posted from the shallow recesses of my feeble mind.

Here's a thought, put a tax on sports drinks, energy drinks, energy supplements, and bottled water. Use the proceeds to build bike lanes, bike trails, light rail, etc. and stop robbing the highway trust fund to pay for this crap, and stop talking about raising the gasoline tax!!!

(07-31-2014 06:10 PM)THE NC Herd Fan Wrote:  Here's a thought, put a tax on sports drinks, energy drinks, energy supplements, and bottled water. Use the proceeds to build bike lanes, bike trails, light rail, etc. and stop robbing the highway trust fund to pay for this crap, and stop talking about raising the gasoline tax!!!

Some of the energy drinks are far worse for you than a serving of Coke or Pepsi.

(07-31-2014 04:37 PM)TheDancinMonarch Wrote:  

(07-30-2014 04:43 PM)oklalittledixie Wrote:  Proceeds will go to the "Immigrants For a Stronger America Foundation"

Shouldn't that be "Illegal Immigrants"?

I believe the correct code word is "refugees". No one is illegal, one is just "undocumented".