Sugar Tax Has Huge Potential To Reduce Obesity, Diabetes, And Heart Disease

No it doesn't. (e.g., see here and here)

Another salvo shot at the calorically responsible.

Over the past 10 years, Americans drank more sugar-sweetened beverages than ever - as much as 13 billion gallons a year - making these drinks the largest source of added sugar and excess calories in the American diet and, arguably, the single largest dietary factor in the current obesity epidemic. While many states have a sales tax on soda, experts believe they are too low to impact consumption. In a study conducted at Columbia University Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco, researchers estimated that if a higher, penny-per-ounce tax were imposed on sugar-sweetened beverages, it would result in an approximately 15% reduction in consumption and reduce the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

The study findings are published online in the January issue of Health Affairs.

The researchers estimated that, over a ten year period (2010-2020), the penny-per-ounce tax could reduce new cases of diabetes by 2.6%, as many as 95,000 coronary heart events, 8,000 strokes, and 26,000 premature deaths. These health benefits represent more than $17 billion over a decade in medical costs avoided for adults aged 25, in addition to generating approximately $13 billion in annual tax revenue.

Instead of penalizing the rest of us, here is how to properly do a fat tax.