Taxafornia at it again

[boochi]

California wants to steal more of your money now by adding a one cent per ounce tax to all sugary beverages. These fucking idiots want to drive everybody out of there state,

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ax-soda-fight-child-obesity-article-1.1327571

 

[nickbits]

CA is the worst state.

 

[zsdersw]

Par for the course in California. It would be actual, bonafide news if it were happening in, say, Oklahoma.

 

[theevilsharpie]

I'm not really seeing the outage.

Obesity is a major health problem, sugar-sweetened drinks are major contributor to that problem, and in many cases, taxpayers are shouldering the healthcare costs that stem from obesity. Taxing the consumption of sugary drinks is certainly fairer than burdening everyone with the costs of such consumption, and it has precedent from other "sin" taxes like cigarettes, alcohol, gas guzzlers, etc.

 

[Moonbeam]

I predict that millions of California's fattest will flee this outrageous one cent an oz. sugary drink tax and the pressure that releases on the San Andreas fault will cause a massive earthquake with California itself rising in altitude above sea level thousands of feet and the rest of the North American continent sinking beneath the sea. I am just so upset over this I'm going to go punch myself in the face.

 

[monovillage]

I'm not really seeing the outage.

Obesity is a major health problem, sugar-sweetened drinks are major contributor to that problem, and in many cases, taxpayers are shouldering the healthcare costs that stem from obesity. Taxing the consumption of sugary drinks is certainly fairer than burdening everyone with the costs of such consumption, and it has precedent from other "sin" taxes like cigarettes, alcohol, gas guzzlers, etc.

Why would you think that sugary drinks are a "major contributor" to obesity in Calif.?

 

[nehalem256]

I'm not really seeing the outage.

Obesity is a major health problem, sugar-sweetened drinks are major contributor to that problem, and in many cases, taxpayers are shouldering the healthcare costs that stem from obesity. Taxing the consumption of sugary drinks is certainly fairer than burdening everyone with the costs of such consumption, and it has precedent from other "sin" taxes like cigarettes, alcohol, gas guzzlers, etc.

Wouldn't it make more sense to put a tax on people for being obese?

 

[thraashman]

Why would you think that sugary drinks are a "major contributor" to obesity in Calif.?

Maybe he is agreeing with the Harvard School of Public Health.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sugary-drinks-fact-sheet/

 

[Murloc]

Wouldn't it make more sense to put a tax on people for being obese?

no because it would be discriminatory against those who are fat for causes unrelated to diet.

 

[zsdersw]

Wouldn't it make more sense to put a tax on people for being obese?

If every state and the federal government did that, our budget deficit problem wouldn't exist.

Both this tax mentioned in the OP and an "obesity tax" are ridiculous, but an obesity tax would bring in major $$$... because America's waistline is ballooning almost as fast as the national debt.

 

[Incorruptible]

Hopefully more people leave and send a message to the idiots. California will eventually have to go broke where they will require serious changes in order for the fucking idiots to learn their lesson.

 

[WHAMPOM]

California wants to steal more of your money now by adding a one cent per ounce tax to all sugary beverages. These fucking idiots want to drive everybody out of there state,

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ax-soda-fight-child-obesity-article-1.1327571

Sin Tax same as that on alcohol, tobacco and everything else in this world.

Edit; by the way, why all the indignation fron NC?

 

[nehalem256]

no because it would be discriminatory against those who are fat for causes unrelated to diet.

You mean like because they don't exercise

You mean like passing an obesity tax against those who are not obese(like the soda tax)?

 

[WHAMPOM]

Wouldn't it make more sense to put a tax on people for being obese?

Like the makers of processed foods would not have a fit about that.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Wouldn't it make more sense to put a tax on people for being obese?

Not only would such a tax be logistically difficult to enforce, it would likely violate a whole host of federal regulations on medical privacy.

So no.

 

[Spungo]

Not only would such a tax be logistically difficult to enforce, it would likely violate a whole host of federal regulations on medical privacy.

So no.

Then wouldn't it make more sense to tax calories instead of sugar? Eating 5 pizzas per day will get people fat too.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Then wouldn't it make more sense to tax calories instead of sugar? Eating 5 pizzas per day will get people fat too.

Pizzas are made from discrete ingredients that can be obtained anywhere, whereas soda is made from syrup produced by a single company. Again, you run into a problem of enforcement.

So no.

 

[JulesMaximus]

California wants to steal more of your money now by adding a one cent per ounce tax to all sugary beverages. These fucking idiots want to drive everybody out of there state,

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ax-soda-fight-child-obesity-article-1.1327571

So, your assertion is that people are going to leave CA to avoid paying 16 cents extra for a soda? :whiste:

 

[PingSpike]

CA is the worst state.

CA has a huge economy and nice weather. My state just passed a sugary drinks tax and a tax on bottled water. And there are few jobs with generally poor pay coupled with it being a frozen shit hole half the year.

 

[zsdersw]

How about this... I know it's a radical idea to some of you:

No 'sin' taxes whatsoever. If people want to be obese and cut their lives short, let them. If people want to eat crap and, as a result, ruin their health, let them.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

One cent per ounce? That's insane. I don't know about California's pricing, but around here, a 2 liter costs around $2.00. Add in a 9% sales tax and 1 cent per ounce (68 cents), and that same bottle of soda costs $2.86, with taxes making up nearly a third of the price. I'm liberal, but I hate this nanny state bullshit.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Everyone loves sin taxes, except when it's their sin getting taxed.

 

[nehalem256]

Like the makers of processed foods would not have a fit about that.

I think its more likely that obese people would be having a fit.

Not only would such a tax be logistically difficult to enforce, it would likely violate a whole host of federal regulations on medical privacy.

So no.

It would be quite simple. Everyone could report yearly to the city of their birth for weighing. And be taxed according to how obese they are. If it worked in the time of the bible I don't see why it wouldn't work now.

Conservatives would like it because the idea comes from the bible. Liberals would like it because it would let them have their nanny-state utopia. Seems like a win-win to me :awe:

 

[nehalem256]

Everyone loves sin taxes, except when it's their sin getting taxed.

Well in this case it is only an indirect sin that is being taxed.

Fun fact milk has as many calories as Pepsi.

Another fun fact the fda prohibits companies from fortifying soda with nutrients

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112728973/antioxidant-7up-cherry-false-claims-fda-110912/

 

[zsdersw]

Fun fact milk has as many calories as Pepsi.

Milk doesn't eat away your teeth and has a lot less sugar.

Another fun fact the fda prohibits companies from fortifying soda with nutrients

Fortified soda would be just as bad for you as unfortified soda is now. The calories come entirely from sugar, so the calories would be just as empty and the carbonation and various acids in soda would still do just as much damage to your teeth.