New tax for Soda?

From Brianna Howell

According to a recent article in The Atlantic, the idea to raise taxes on soda products in order to fund a health care plan has been established. The reasoning behind this idea explains how, like alcohol and cigarettes, overconsumption of soda is not good for one’s health. Studies show that 65% of people favor rising cigarette prices and 63% of people favor raising prices on wine and alcohol, however only 46% of people would favor rising taxes on soda and other soft drinks. The author of this article speculates that the reason for a lower approval for increasing soda taxes exists because it would be hard to draw the line between sugar content and the health hazards. I think that the opposition regarding this idea more relates to the fact that soda is a more widely consumed beverage than alcohol and consumed by people of old ages. I also think that it is an interesting proposal—raising junk food taxes in order to pay for a national health care plan. It seems logical… I just don’t know how practical.