Sugar-Sweetened Drinks Should Be Taxed, Argues New York Health Commissioner

Fire the health commissioner.

"Writing in a leading medical journal, the Health Commissioner for the City of New York argues in support of taxing sweetened beverages, suggesting that a "penny per ounce" excise tax could reduce their consumption by more than ten per cent, a much bigger change than could be achieved by education alone, in the fight to tackle the rising problem of obesity...

Frieden and Bronwell (sic) wrote that taxes on tobacco reduced consumption, and evidence suggests that higher prices reduces soda consumption."

First, a tax on tobacco only affects people who use tobacco. A tax on sugared beverages affects those who do not abuse it as well as the calorically irresponsible.

Second, there are few alternatives to cigarettes for smokers. It is tough to replace them with, say, pencils or straws.

Calories, however, are fungible and can be abused from a number of sources.

There is a proper way to do a fat tax. This is not it.

Frieden is an idiot and Brownell is a fatso who presumably achieved his corpulence without sugary beverages.

'Nuff said.