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The government would have to increase taxes on soda and junk food by 18 to 20 percent in order to influence people not to buy these products, according to a new study from the Rand Corporation.

• Roland Sturm and his colleagues analyzed data from 7,300 fifth graders who were surveyed in 2004 about their height, weight, and soda consumption.
  
• Some children lived in states that had special taxes on soda that amounted to four to seven cents on the dollar.
  
• These taxes had a small effect on a few children, mostly those whose families earn less than $25,000 a year.
  
• However, Sturm calculated that the tax would have to be more like 18 to 20 cents on the dollar to make a significant difference on consumption.

The study appeared in the journal Health Affairs.

Labels: sodas, taxes

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

New Yorkers may soon have to pay more for regular soda, but not diet varieties. Governor David Paterson is proposing a 15% sales tax on sugar-sweetened carbonated drinks in order to curb sales among children and to raise more money for a state strapped for cash.

The "obesity tax" has won the approval of experts in the field of childhood obesity.

"Raising the price of this liquid candy will put children and teens on a path to a healthier diet," said Elie Ward, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics in New York.

Those against the tax argue that there is no evidence the tax will curb sales of sugary soda, and that studies show that people who drink diet sodas may gain more weight than those who stick to the regular brands.

Labels: sodas, taxes, costs_of_childhoood_obesity

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

If the government imposes a tax on sugary drinks, the average American child would lose 4.5 pounds a year, according to a new study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The average adult would lose 3.8 pounds, and the percent of overweight people would decline from 67% to 62%, the study's author's reported

According to the New York Times, the beverage industry spent $9.4 million to oppose a tax that would have only affected people in the state of New York.
 

Labels: sodas, taxes, soft_drinks

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments