The obesity tax – welcome to the nanny state
“and so it begins… the ‘obesity’ tax Sigh,
among a bunch of other budget cuts and tax hikes, Paterson is planning on implementing a 15% tax on non-diet soda– a so-called obesity tax for NY.” (Read more from effect modification)
heh, thanks for linking to this, but i should mention that that post is rife with factual errors, I wrote it before the whole plan was announced.
its actually an 18% tax, and its not just on sugary soda but on all sugary drinks (how juice fits into the scheme i do not know).
but… to further the point about how the term “obesity tax” conveniently makes use of the stigma towards obesity to justify/garner support for what is really just an arbitrary revenue source…
the full new tax plan also includes a tax on electronic music (wtf?). now, i have yet to see anyone refer to that as a “deafness tax”, despite the evidence that use of electronic music players “cause” hearing loss about as much as sugary soda “causes” obesity…