Just what the doctor ordered: A soda tax?
I don’t think soda should be taxed. I do drink diet soda, I drink a gallon of water a day, along with coffee. I do not think it contributes to my weight, although the carbonation will bloat you if you drink too much. I also don’t allow babyboy to drink all of the soda he wants. If and when he drinks it, it’s Fresca, except if I need to keep him awake and then he gets diet coke. But it’s not an every day thing.
June 11, 2006
BY JIM RITTER Health Reporter
The American Medical Association, meeting in Chicago this week, will consider a controversial proposal to fight obesity by taxing soda pop.
A committee of the influential doctors’ group is recommending the AMA lobby for a “small” federal tax on sugar-sweetened soft drinks, with proceeds going to anti-obesity efforts such as physical activity programs and healthier school meals.
The committee did not specify how high the tax should be. But a consumer group, Center for Science in the Public Interest, estimates that a 1 cent a can tax would raise $1.5 billion a year. That’s more than the advertising budget of McDonald’s.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/health/cst-nws-ama11.html
