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What Would Be The Effects Of An Increasing Tax On Sinful Items?

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What would be the effects of an increased tax on “sinful” items?
Since the beginning of time humans who sinned were held accountable. Everyone whether religious or not is aware that a sins can be harmful. Governments have taken this idea and negative connotation that the word sin carries and turned it into a tax. Sin taxes are a tax on items considered undesirable or harmful, such as alcohol or tobacco. Many people also include sugary drinks, fast food, coffee, and gambling into the broad category of sinful items. Right now sin taxes are an issue in many parts of the country. Sin taxes are an easy tax for many to pass if it does not interfere with their lifestyle, but for others an increase in sin taxes is often seen as the government being …show more content…

It’s like I said earlier if someone really wants something the money it takes to get that thing or the means they have to pursue do not really matter. At some point in addiction money stops becoming an issue. It is seen all over when people blow their paycheck at a casino or on lottery tickets looking for the get rich quick fix. People could turn that check into their rent for the month and just cut down on the gambling or drinking but to them it does not matter. They would rather lose their house than not be able to gamble or drink.
Many believe that by getting people away from cigarettes, alcohol, gambling, and fast food then Americans will be more productive citizens. This is an interesting idea because on paper it makes sense. The less bad things you do to distract you then the more time you have for good things. If you had no time or money or time to go to the casino and drink, then you would have more time to spend with your family and master your craft. An increase in sin taxes could create a chain reaction of good substitutes that ultimately create a more successful and productive …show more content…

If the goal of sin taxes is to limit the use of sinful and harmful items, then those companies who produce them would see major cutes in revenue and eventually shut down. The alcohol industry alone is responsible for over $400 billion of total economic activity. There are also 3.9 million jobs in the alcohol industry that could be lost if sin taxes were to cripple the alcohol industry. The fast food industry is a $500-billion-dollar industry globally producing $200 billion in the US alone. These are just two industries that could be effected by the introduction of harsh sin

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