TAX: California lawmakers propose a tax on soft drinks.
By Andrew Carlson, Staff Writer
On March 8, 2016, state lawmakers Richard Bloom and Jim Hood proposed a tax on sugary drinks. The tax, at two cents per ounce, would add 24 cents to a 12 ounce soft drink can. This new tax, spurred from the alarm of a very high obesity rate, would raise about 2 billion dollars per year. That sum would be used to create and maintain obesity and diabetes programs. As there is no large sum or fund used for these programs, this tax would solve that problem. If this tax, like so many others, is denied, what will become of our country? California is one of the least obese states, but still has almost one fourth of the adult population that is obese. This tax needs to happen because it will allocate money toward solving the problem of obesity and cut down sugary drink consumption.
“We hope to create a fund that would be used to improve health outcomes, particularly for children afflicted with obesity and diabetes,” Bloom said. The tax is supposed to fill up the funding needed to address the epidemic of obesity.
The tax, according to California health experts, could actually reduce sugary drink consumption by younger people who live in low-income communities. California Beverage Systems (CalBev) argues against taxes similar to this, claiming that the tax would make it harder for low income families to buy food and drinks. However, a 2014 survey of Los Angeles adults showed that the groups with low income actually had the highest support rate of an anti-soda tax. Paul Simon, head of the 2014 study, said “ It [the tax] is described as regressive, that it would discriminate against poorer people because they have less money… Nonetheless, we found in our study that there is more support among those groups.”
This tax is completely reasonable, and needs to be passed. A stunning one third of the US adult population is obese, and approximately 12.5 million adolescents are overweight. If this tax spreads countrywide, it could be the first step in cutting down obesity.