From Brian Faughen at Red State:
Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., plugged her own plan at Tuesday’s [congressional Dem] meeting: a 10-cent tax on each 12-ounce container of a sugar-sweetened beverage like nondiet soda. That would raise $112 billion . . . . “I was told by my dad not to drink sugary sodas my whole life, and I turned out all right,” Schwartz said. “This [tax] would make it a real treat.”
For Democrats, this is the fun part of the job - deciding whom to punish with higher taxes.
No one shows that better than Rep. Schwartz, who wants us all to enjoy the fun that comes with high soda prices. And while she’s only talking about soda (for now), just remember that a VAT [value added] tax, higher costs for health care, and higher energy costs (thanks to cap-and-tax), will raise the price for all commodities.
So while the only product she’s directly increasing the cost of is soda, her votes will yield higher prices for everything you buy.
Change you can believe in?
2 comments:
Hey Dan -- may surprise you to know that I think a tax on soda and other junk food is a great idea. It's intended to encourage people to make better choices about thier health and food selections, and raise much needed funds to cover the exceptionally higher cost assocaited with care for young, unhealthy people who have developed a lifestyle of junk food and the serious health consequences that come with their choices. A fat tax is long overdue and will help change behavior while raising much need healthcare funds.
Matt
I respect your position, Matt but I fear you're sending us down a slippery slope.
Sets a bad precedent.
We must value freedom and liberty above all.
Give people the freedom to eat what they want but educate them about the dangers of a poor diet. That's the right prescription.
Nuisance taxes have never changed behavior, Matt. There are plenty of taxes on liquor but people still drink. Ditto cigarettes. And alcohol and cigarettes are far more dangerous to your health than a bit of sugar.
In any event, we're overtaxed now -- at EVERY level.
And by all means, let's keep government from meddling any further into health care.
At this rate the pharmaceutical industry will never have the capital it needs to develop new drugs and technologies that could save so many of us.
No new taxes! Let free enterprise and freedom of choice and the free market do their thing. Trust in capitalism, Matt. That's what made America great. That's what provides jobs and grows the economy.
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