Blog

Lately the media has been busy reporting on the penny-an-ounce tax that New York Governor, David Paterson, has proposed on sugary sodas and sweetened drinks. Basically he wants consumers in New York to start paying additional tax on top of the standard sales tax when they buy a bottle or a can of these beverages. While many oppose it, there are some, like Mayor Bloomberg, who support it.

The goal of the tax, according to those who support it, is to reduce the consumption of sugary beverages. Also, some additional tax revenue sure would help the State during this tough economic time.

According to the American Heart Association, soft drinks and sugar sweetened beverages are the number one contributor of added sugars in Americans’ diets. It is believed that taxing sodas and sweetened beverages will lead to reduced consumption of these beverages. In fact, one study even went as far as projecting a 7% reduction in calories consumed from soda if a 10% tax on it is levied.

Personally I think this is unnecessary. If there is a tax on this, what about other items that are high in sugar as well, like the cotton candy sold at the ballpark or the glazed donuts sold at the donut chain down the street? If the New York government can impose tax on beverages that are high in sugar (which they believe contribute to consumers' expanding waistline), what about imposing tax on food that is high in sodium as well, since that is also a main contributor to consumers' weight gain? I can hear the scream of protest from the Chinese restaurant owners in NYC already.

If you ask me, I think the NY government should not impose this tax. They keep saying that they are doing this for the health of the consumers. Well, they should leave it to the consumers to decide what's good for them and what's not. I am sure consumers are well aware that sugary sodas and sweetened beverages are not good for them if consumed often, especially when this fact has been featured quite a bit on the news lately. What do you think? Should this tax proposition be passed?