I love soda. There is nothing like hearing the ‘pop’ of a can and then tasting that sweet nectar on your tongue as it flows down your throat. I used to drink two or three cans a day until about ten years ago. Now I drink, on average, perhaps one a week. Sometimes I go weeks without any, and then on a hot weekend I’ll have two or three (or a gallon of unsweetened ice tea). My point is that while I love soda, I don’t NEED soda. In fact, nobody will deny the fact that there is nothing in soda that is good for you, and eating or drinking any excess sugar is not good for your health. (Soda has been linked to a long list of ailments, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis to just name a few.)
So, when someone is proposing a soda tax, I have to see it as a good thing, especially if it will encourage people to seek out cheaper, healthier alternatives. While in principle I'm against any unnecessary tax, let’s face it, the government has to raise money to provide all the things we take for granted, like roads, schools, national defense, public services, etc. And we already place high taxes on spirits, beer and wine (of which the latter does have proven health benefits), so why not soda as well?
I know, some people (the soda companies) will scream that a nanny government is taking away one of life’s little pleasures or that somehow soda is an important necessity of life that people have a right to. But nobody is proposing taking away anything - just adding a small tax on sometime nobody needs in the first place and will probably be healthier without anyway. So what’s really wrong with that? Nothing in my mind.
- Ken
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