Summary of "A Tax That Invest in Our Health"

In the essay “A Tax That Invest in Our Health”, Richard F. Daines, a Commissioner of Health for New York State discusses the problem about obesity in American people, especially New Yorker. He said sixty percent adults New Yorker are overweight. People consume much more calories per day up to 300 calories more than 30 years ago. He discusses that people are facing long life health problem with obesity and the cost of this problem is from the sweet-sugary drink. He said the government gives subsidies on corn syrup which makes the sweeten soda drinks available at a low price. The opposite, the fresh healthy food like vegetable and milk are more expensive. In New York alone, $7.6 billion dollar is spent on treatment that relate to obesity sickness. He suggests that the government should step in by raising tax on sweeten-sugary drink and he believe that raising a tax on sweet-sugary drink would make American people drink less sugar. He said that people die earlier because of drinking sugary beverages. He concludes that by raising tax on sweeten-sugary drink would protect people from obesity.

 

My response……

I think adding taxes on sugary beverages is a good idea for a start but I think if government is going to raising these taxes, they should raise them as high as needed in order to bring the prices of sugary drink close or equal to the price of other healthy drink choices. If only raises government taxes on soda by very little and those drinks were still cheaper than healthy drink, it would not change anything. People are sensitive to price would still choose to buy sugary drink if even with the added tax they are still cheaper than healthier choices. Bringing the prices close or equivalent then people will start thinking of buying product have that are healthier. I also think sugary drinks is not just the only factor of obesity problem, government should considers raising tax on all junk foods together in order to get more solution effective to solving obesity problem.