Soda Tax

New report suggests
nationwide soda tax

The New England Journal of Medicine has again raised the
idea of taxing sugary beverages to reduce obesity and bring
public health benefits.

The paper is a collaborative endeavor from a number of key
proponents of soda taxes, including Dr Kelly Brownell,
who has previously compared the food and tobacco industries,
and Dr Barry Popkin, author of The World is Fat, which
discusses the link between obesity and increased
consumption of sugary drinks.

This new paper states that current soft drink taxes –
in place in 33 states – are too small to affect obesity rates.
The authors recommend a one cent tax per ounce,
which they say would lead to a 15 to 20 percent increase in
soft drink prices and, if implemented across the US,
“would raise $14.9bn in the first year alone.”
It is predicted that consumption of calories from soft drinks
would decrease by at least ten percent, which is significant for weight loss.
“The benefit would be larger among consumers who consume
higher volumes, since these consumers are more likely to be overweight.
Opposition from the beverage industry is to be expected.
The authors also suggested the poor have the most to gain from the
tax if revenue is ploughed back into obesity programs, and that
there is a low- or no-cost alternative – tap water.

They wrote: “Reducing caloric intake by 1 to 2 percent per year
would have a marked impact on health in all age groups.