Benefits of taxing soft drinks

AP describes a recent study that concluded "Small taxes on soda do little to reduce soft drink consumption or prevent childhood obesity, but larger levies probably would..."

The benefits of imposing significant taxes on foods that have no nutritional value ought to be a no-brainer. To make new taxes politically palatable, taxes on any health-enhancing products and services might be simultaneously reduced.

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Tax junk food to pay cost of obesity

I think health care should be paid for largely by taxing unhealthy foods and behaviors.   The following would  be a good start (via CNN):

• Shift subsidies away from corn toward the production of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as organic farming, so healthier, more natural foods become as accessible as Happy Meals.
• Tax fast food, soft drinks, and packaged foods high in processed fats and sugars to decrease demand for unhealthy food. A study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine recommends a tax on "sugar-sweetened beverages," projecting that for every 10 percent rise in price, consumption of soft drinks would decline a corresponding 8 to 10 percent, leading to weight loss and reduced health risks.
• Regulate youth nutrition marketing, preventing paradoxes like the teaming of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" -- despite its well-intentioned message -- with Burger King for a promotion heavily advertised on children's TV.

The above recommendations should be no-brainers.  Taxes aren't fun to pay, but the government has to collect money somewhere.  Better to tax wasteful or harmful activities than healthy ones.  Dubner cites a recent study (Freakonomics/NYT):

The prevalence of obesity rose 37 percent between 1998 and 2006, and medical costs climbed to about 9.1 percent of all U.S. medical costs, the researchers said.

More about the costs of obesity here.

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Finally, a valid reason to make yourself healthier

In an article entitled "Disease Prevention Programs Worth the Investment" USN reports:

Community-based health programs aimed at diet, exercise, smoking prevention and other known risk factors for chronic diseases could cut health-care costs in the United States by $16 billion a year, a new report says. . .

It's as if the ultimate -- or the only valid -- justification for educating public about health issues is to save the country a lot of money. People are funny.

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