Pros And Cons Of Soda Tax

All over our nation, citizens of all ages are faced with the same problem as death defying diseases such as obesity or diabetes are plaguing our country. The government is noticing this problem and is slowly implementing the soda tax (otherwise known as sin tax). These taxes are the government's attempt to decrease the consumption of sugary drinks. Many people see this as beneficial in the way that it helps society learn to have healthier life styles. Others believe that this decision is "intrusive" and "paternalistic". In the end, the superior argument is that sugary drinks should not be taxed. First of all, this tax on soda cannot be proven liable at all. In the article, by Alexandra Sifferlin entitled "Do Soda Taxes Really Work?" the

The author of "What the Soda Tax Means for Consumers", Brian Gale, makes a similar point when he says, "Even if soda and tobacco are preventing, say, diabetes and lung cancer, some might object that it is intrusive and paternalistic for the government to make the decision for the public" (Gale 1). If people want to drink soda why shouldn't they? Everyone knows that soda is unhealthy and know the possible consequences so how is it fair that they are being stripped from the public. why should people have to pay more? It is inconsiderate that the government is making that decision for us. Another reason that is equally important is the taxing soda simply makes things worse. In the article "Should There Be a Tax on Soda and Other Sugar Drinks?", the authors say "It does not solve the health problems it purports to address, but creates new problems and leads to the public sector... If they want to impose these taxes, they should at least be honest enough to admit that they will not end obesity and diabetes, but rather will generate more of other people's money for state governments to spend (Brownwell and Shughart 2-3). The government tells us that taxing soda is used to end health problems in our nation but it could just be so that the state government can steal more of our money and use it for unethical purposes. Many people who are for soda tax would counter and say that it worked