It is Not a Good Idea to Raise Taxes on Sugary Beverages

It is a disturbing fact that many Americans have health related problems, many of which are caused by an overindulgence of certain foods and beverages. The idea of raising taxes on sugary beverages is absurd! The government may have good intentions by raising taxes on sugary beverages but it simply will not work. This proposed tax increase will be the biggest failure since the prohibition of the 1920s. The prohibition's initial purpose was to reduce alcohol consumption. As with the prohibition, the raising of taxes on sugary beverages will do just the opposite of what it is expected to do. We have seen in the past that an increase in taxes on certain products such as alcohol, cigarettes, and other tobacco products failed because people are going to use them regardless. Many people that consume these products suffer from cancer related illnesses. The increases in taxes did not reduce or eliminate human consumption.

Raising taxes on soft drinks would not reduce consumption. Instead it will create lots of confusion. Consumers would seek alternative sources to get sugary beverages from. People would start selling soft drinks, energy drinks, and fruit drinks illegally; these products would be sold tax free. This would open the door for an underground of criminal activity. In this country soft drinks are very common. They are available to us almost anywhere that we go. If the government raised taxes on sugary beverages it still would not reduce consumption because people will continue to buy soft drinks regardless of the price.

Sugary beverages are not the only products that cause people to have health problems. Americans consume astronomical amounts of bread. In the human body bread breaks down into sugar. Too much sugar would eventually cause diabetes. Are we going to raise taxes on bread? Most of us eat processed meat from time to time; it is very high in sodium. Increased sodium amounts could lead to high cholesterol which can cause heart disease. Are we going to raise taxes on processed meat? Too much fried food can also contribute to heart disease. When we eat fried foods in restaurants will we see an increase in taxes when it is time to pay for the meal? The answer is no because if taxes were raised on every thing that caused us to have bad health we would pay high prices for everything that we eat and drink. We don't need any new taxes but we need reductions on the ones that we currently have in place now. Raising taxes on sugary beverages will have a negative impact in this country. Our government is going to have to realize that health related problems can not be deterred by raising taxes. In order to decrease health related problems it is going to take both strong human will and skill.