Doctors demand soft drinks tax

Just who were these 'doctors' exactly ? The government always does this. They ask a couple of doctors, or whoever depending on what they are trying to enforce, so that it looks as if they are doing it because they been asked to. More smoke and mirrors bullcrap.
Taxing things higher will not stop those addicted from buying them and the government knows it full well. This tax, like most of it's kind, is not intended to do good. Another robbing, thieving scam dished out to a population who just cannot afford any more tax hikes.

hahahahahahahah

Good on all of you. You thought it was an excellent idea to financially rape smokers! Now you all can bend over for your turn!

Tired of Control Freaks

reply to post by TiredofControlFreaks


Amen to that bro

so this tax will be aimed at making the poor healthier? The well off will still be able to afford to drink as much as they want, i guess doctors don`t care about the health of rich people?
unhealthy rich people who have the best insurance are a gold mine for doctors.

if things like soft drinks and cigarettes are so unhealthy why don`t they just outlaw them or ration them? oh right! because if they did that then they couldn`t collect as much tax money from them.

That stuff really is terrible for you.
It's funny how Conspiracy theorists will whine all day about fluoride, yet most have no problems with the very real poison being pushed out.

This seems a bit unrealistic, seeing as corporations with the power of Coca-Cola, or McDonald's, would do everything in their power to prevent these sort of limitations on the consumption of their products.

WOW how can anyone not agree with this? Are we all really that narrow-minded to where you can't embrace some type of change? We HAVE to start making some improvements within this economy. You people act like this is coming directly out of your pay check as a tax.

- 68% of Americans are considered obese. Take a look around, that's one out of three people that's disgusting to look at. We've developed into a society that is lazy and go after fast food rather than prepare our own meals that are healthy. America isn't exactly the most attractive society.

- It's better to pay a 20% tax on something that's unhealthy, then to be mandated to pay for ObamaCare. Less unhealthy food > less disease > less visits to the doctor > less fat people.

- A 20% tax would HELP the economy NOT hyper-inflate it. This is a reasonable trade, why not tax tobacco more and legalize marijuana and have a 90% tax on that too? Seriously.

We have to compromise something in this nation and I strongly agree with the doctors on this. It's a win/win deal. The tax goes back INTO the economy AND it has a possibility of lowering health risks. But seriously...I don't post much, but I read a sh** ton and I've noticed 95% of the people on here are quick to whine about something instead of posing a counter offer to the situation.

So in other words, anything the medical profession thinks is bad for us should be taxed beyond our means? What gives the government the right to tell people what they can and can't eat.

Fat people, every time they go to see their doctor about something else, get harassed about their weight? That doesn't seem right to me.

Well if you go to the mechanic to get you break pads changed and the mechanic notices that your engine is about to blow up, would you not want him to tell you?
A precedent has been set that a fat guy can sue his doctor if his doctor doesn't reccomend fat camp or stomach satpling: www.abovetopsecret.com...


being a fat #er is going to kill you. The government isn't 'telling you what to eat', the proposition is to discourage the consumption of unhealthy food that is causing an an epidemic.
This is no different from other vice taxes such as are applied to alcohol and cigarettes.

If the argument is against vice taxes, then fine. There are some people who drink soft drink like they should water, however because soft drink is so cheap, they don't.

Whether or not this will work remains to be seen. In all likely hood if there is a drop in sales, soft drink companies will just drop their price to make it more affordable, or introduce 'budget lines', as has happened with cigarettes.

soft drinks are slow acting poison when consumed every day, i can understand why doctors want to discourage it. There are 17 tea spoons of sugar in a can of coke. Some people have several cans of coke a day and then wonder why they are fat.

Edit: The proceeds of the tax should be used to subsidize healthy food and drink, eg fruit and vegetables. Apply a generaly 'bad food tax' which subsidizes 'good foods'. this will make it a lot more effective at achieving its goal.

Originally posted by xxcircasurf
WOW how can anyone not agree with this? Are we all really that narrow-minded to where you can't embrace some type of change? We HAVE to start making some improvements within this economy. You people act like this is coming directly out of your pay check as a tax.

- 68% of Americans are considered obese. Take a look around, that's one out of three people that's disgusting to look at. We've developed into a society that is lazy and go after fast food rather than prepare our own meals that are healthy. America isn't exactly the most attractive society.

- It's better to pay a 20% tax on something that's unhealthy, then to be mandated to pay for ObamaCare. Less unhealthy food > less disease > less visits to the doctor > less fat people.

- A 20% tax would HELP the economy NOT hyper-inflate it. This is a reasonable trade, why not tax tobacco more and legalize marijuana and have a 90% tax on that too? Seriously.

We have to compromise something in this nation and I strongly agree with the doctors on this. It's a win/win deal. The tax goes back INTO the economy AND it has a possibility of lowering health risks. But seriously...I don't post much, but I read a sh** ton and I've noticed 95% of the people on here are quick to whine about something instead of posing a counter offer to the situation.

68% is 2 in 3 people-ish ... thus your point is furthered.

reply to post by Tardacus


No, they don't outlaw these things because it would be politically impossible... democracy remember.

reply to post by bigdohbeatdown


You're right, that's my bad. Long day at work.

Link

On the subject, I am majoring in Health and Wellness and I currently have two years certified personal training experience with a military back ground. So I'm not just some Joe Schmoe spewing out facts.

I see day in and day out people loose weight and just give up because they don't see the results they want in a week. Diet is key in loosing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. What is one small tax on something that is deemed unhealthy for you going to do, honestly? HF corn syrup, arsenic, fluoride... that's what we don't want taxed?

Like I said, I'm still not seeing any other proposals.

reply to post by xxcircasurf


Yeah I agree, half the food on the shelves is toxic. I don't know if you're Australian, but they just brought in 'plain packaging' for ciggarettes here. IMO it should be instituted for fast food, soft drink and chips and all that crap.

Here are our ciggarette packages now:



"http://www.cancer.org.au/content/cancer_control_policy/position-statements/plain-packaging-smoking-images.png" alt="some_text">


er how do i make an image come up in the forum ?

reply to post by bigdohbeatdown


I live in America. Currently in South Korea now though. I don't smoke, but from what I hear, cigarettes are a roughly a dollar more here than they are in the states. That's a good eye opener for people. Most people know that smoking is bad, but what they don't know are the health risks it can cause. Or they'll say something like "oh my dad's been smoking for 20 years and hes in perfect health." It's like, ya thats cool and all, but just wait, its coming lol

We are all in this together and if we are paying for each other's healthcare then it makes sense. You cannot be accountable for yourself. We've proven this. Telling you to eat healthy is not enough.

Being part of the medical community, I am 100% on board.

10% tax for tanning beds.
20% tax on soft drinks.
30% tax on fast food.
50% tax on alcohol and tobacco.

All of these things I enjoy from time to time and the last two in higher quantities. It's not fair to ask you to pay for my poor life decisions... so the 50% tax I pay basically pays for my own medical care when I grow older...

Or you can eat right, exercise and never use the healthcare system, but pay into it... then I'll just use your money

reply to post by ollncasino


I take drugs. I'll freeze *your* sweat before it hits the bathroom tile! I'll drive a mile so as not to walk a foot; I am the bigfooted devil of Level 14! Every night I hock up a lunger and extinguish the *Sun*! I am a Thuggee, I am feared in the Tongs, I have the Evil Backbone, I carry the Mojo Bag; I swam *the Cosmos* and didn't get wet! I'll drive a mile so as not to walk a foot; I am a giant lizard! I'm the god damn Man of the Future, who'll try to blow me down? I make a *spectacle* of myself! I am a goddamn *visionary*, I see the future and the past in comic books and wine bottles; I eat *black holes* for breakfast! For I speak *only* the *Truth*, and never in my days have I spoken other than! I'm a screamer and a laugher, I pay no taxes, I am a *sight*! Yes baby, I'm 13 feet tall and have 273 rows o' guts; I was suckled by a giant lizard, I gave the Anti-Virgin a high-protein tonsil wash! I take drugs! My imagination is a *god damn* cancer and I'll pork it before it porks me! I've sired sons of God and man across a corporate galaxy, I cook and *eat* my dead; YEE! YEEE! I'm the Unshaven Thorn Tree of the Bermuda Triangle! I'll freeze *your* breath before it hits the bathroom tile! I'm the bigfooted devil of Level 14, I am Not Insane! *Yip, yip, YEEEEEEE!*

I've never understood the association between taxation and harm. If it's addicting, and people will go bankrupt to keep up their fix on the product, all taxation does is put more money in the hands of the government to squander on their own excesses.

In the US, not sure if it's the same in UK, the corporations that sell harmful goods like tobacco products, booze, defective computer operating systems, etc. have politicians deep in their pockets. In a direct relation to the OP, in the states, soft drinks almost ALWAYS contain high fructose corn syrup, which has been more or less monopolized by ADM. ADM is huge and the entire FDA and USDA are pawns of ADM (among a few others). Any efforts to enlighten people on the harm, especially related to obesity, of high fructose corn syrup is always met by a barrage of denial sponsored by ADM and their pawns.

Again, the whole thing is a ruse put on by the government to hide their closed-door deals with VERY large industries to allow them to keep operating in potentially dangerous areas.

And consuming this junk is up to the individual. Why feed the government coffer to discourage them from using it. It will just be money wasted. It's like any other food, everything in moderation.

Originally posted by homeslice
Shouldn't doctors etc. be advising patients on healthy eating and appropriate exercise anyway?
Isn't that kind of like, their job?

I would support limited fast food places in school areas etc - but a soda tax is silly. Soon it will be your couches and TVs!

edit on 17-2-2013 by homeslice because: (no reason given)

I agree with you 100%, but if you've ever been to a hospital lately you would be appalled at the number of doctors and nurses stepping out for smoke breaks and chugging diet coke like it is going out of style. They are in no position to be advocating anything, especially neurotoxins in lieu of obesity tax.

This is bull. I'm not fat and I drink soft drinks daily. So punish me for fat people. Real nice. I say tax fat people if that is the target.

Oh and super size me that meal. I'm not fat yet I'm American.