Should there be a junk food tax?

Read the link (it's short). What do you think? What would you earmark the tax revenues for if you think they would help?

I think that a tax would serve as great subsidy money for good old fruits and veggies.

Link

Thu. Jul 26, 8:03am

The government has too much of its hand in the pockets of Americans already. I don't eat a lot of junk food so this wouldn't affect me too much, but who is the government to essentially tell me what I should and shouldn't buy by increasing the price on things it deems bad for me.

I know there's going to be people who disagree and think that the government does know what's best for people, but that's a fundamental difference in opinion and you won't sway me otherwise.

Thursday, July 26, 2007, 8:53 AM

no. but labelling junk foods with little warnings about the consequences of over-consumption would be great. like on cigarettes and alcohol. "warning: consuming this product beyond the recommended serving size may lead to weight-gain, heart disease, sodium overload and other health problems." maybe if you cut out the labels and saved up enough, you could get some kind of discount on health insurance. or how about if you could trade in the junk food in your home for some healthy choices? like the handgun exchange program?

Thursday, July 26, 2007, 8:58 AM

I'm not at all convinced that lableing makes a difference. It certainly doesn't with cigarettes or alcohol. HOw many people actually read those warning and change their mind?

Thursday, July 26, 2007, 10:23 AM

I don't think a junk-food tax would help at all. People would still buy it (for example, cigarettes are getting close to $10 a pack here in Canada, and people still buy them)

tax would only be passed down to the consumer.

Thursday, July 26, 2007, 10:40 AM

If you live in NYC, you know that smoking has gone down since Bloomberg passed tax hikes. A junk food tax will reduce consumption rates, no question.

Thursday, July 26, 2007, 11:28 AM

maybe people would spend the money they save on junk food on buying cigarettes.

Thursday, July 26, 2007, 11:36 AM

NO! I don't need the gov't making decisions for me. They do enough of that already!

Thursday, July 26, 2007, 11:43 AM

I think putting additional restrictions on the companies who make the products is the real answer. Like banning trans-fats (cut out the below 1g crap - they're still in those products!), limit the use of high fructose corn syrup, added sugars, artificial sweeteners and anything else man-made.
Making the public pay for the wily manufacturing tricks made by companies is not fair.

Thursday, July 26, 2007, 12:00 PM

limiting the use of high fructose corn syrup may be a fortunate consequence of the alternative fuel movement. more and more corn is being grown than ever in the US just for automotive fuel. this is raising corn costs and raising the costs of foods made with or from corn.

Thursday, July 26, 2007, 12:14 PM

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