December 18, 2008
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In Times of Lean Economic Revenue Determine What the Next Tax Will Be …
Let us spin the wheel of “What’s Ailing America” to see what we should tax next to help get us through these lean economic times.
spin. spin. spin. click. click. click.
Today’s winner is Child Obesity! What can we tax that will help stop child obesity? Video games that cause inactivity? Can’t do that since Nintendo released the Wii Fit. What about foods with trans-fat? Arggg! We just banned those. I know! What about non-diet soda and juice drinks that don’t contain at least 70% fruit juices! We know that the tax on Fast Food joints might have worked so lets try this!
It’s funny how for the sake of healthy reasons folks like to target particular things to tax to help reduce consumption. It’s not about education or awareness but what hit’s you in the pocket. Smoking, yes it’s bad and they made a ton of money selling cigarettes. Well if we heavily tax them then the government will get a ton of money and for health reasons maybe people will stop. But in the mean time we’ll just take the tax revenue. It’s interesting how the rest of the world doesn’t see it that way.
As for this whole non-diet soda tax, it just seems funny. Especially since they included juice drinks that don’t contain at least 70% fruit juices. Do people even read the labels? A 12-ounce Orange Juice has more calories and the same amount of sugar as a 12-ounce can of non-diet soda! Oooooh, but I’m missing the point. Soda has processed sugar and OJ is natural. If anything they should include all fruit juices since they, along with soda can not only make our kids fat but also lead us to Type 2 Diabetes. But our kids are fat and we don’t know how to get them thin again. I don’t know what to do. I need the goernment to step in and save my family by taxing a random item that when consumed in large quantities will make them fat.
Pu-leaze. I just wish the government would just say look we’re taxing soda because we can and we need the revenue. Nope that’s bad PR. Now if we spin it so we say it’s so the kids will get thin again then people won’t hound us about it. N-i-c-e.
If we’re talking about taxing food due to health reasons why not spinach? Spinach was a major cause of E. coli poisoning and death these past few years. I would think death and serious illness would be something that would warrent protection. Ohhh, spinach isn’t consumed at the same amount and cost as soda or cigarettes or fast food so the actual tax revenue benefit would be low. Gotcha.
ug. Why do I even try?
