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Should Sugary Sweetened Beverage

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Sugary Sweetened Beverage Tax
All across the country, health advocates are battling to put a cap on sugary sweetened beverages. One of their biggest lines of attack is a new tax on all sugar sweetened beverages. Advocates argue that these sugary drinks are a major contributor to health issues such as obesity and diabetes (Wood 1). Some researchers even argue that these sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) are the single largest contributor of increasing obesity rates in the United States, leading to public health advocates and researchers to search for effective solutions to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks (Niederdeppe 1). These health problems are driving up health care cost. Advocates around the nation propose that these drinks should carry a higher tax to reduce their consumption and help cover medical cost caused by them. However, SSB companies are fighting back against the newly proposed taxes. They feel that their products are being unfairly singled out. Other critics argue that a tax will not reduce the consumption of the sugary beverages and will be a waste of money (Wood 2). Nevertheless, the …show more content…

A major argument is that taxes on sugary beverages are regressive and would hurt the low-income, but obesity and diabetes are highly regressive diseases (Wood 3). Furthermore, the revenue from soda taxes could be used to help those most in need by subsidizing the costs of foods like fruits and vegetables. Tax opponents also argue a black market will develop in sodas if we pass high taxes. The same argument could also be made about tobacco taxes. However, tobacco taxes have been massively successful, even if some illicit sales occur. Tobacco and alcohol taxes are now common and are considered a permanent part of the public-health and economic picture. A sugary sweetened beverage tax should follow the same course and provide considerable benefit in the United States and their state of health (Wood

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