Posts tagged as:

fat-tax

Will Danes Influence US Tax Policy? Fat Chance.

3 October 2011

There’s no way round it: Americans are getting fat. According to the CDC, there has been a “dramatic increase in obesity” over the past twenty years. Across the country, about a third of all adults are classified as obese, meaning that they have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher. To put that [...]

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Cheers for a Soda Tax?

15 June 2011

Americans love their soda. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (report downloads as a pdf), in 2004, the average American consumed 37 gallons of carbonated, non-diet soft drinks. That works out 59,000 calories – or roughly the equivalent of 17 pounds in one year. In good news for the soda industry, [...]

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Soda Survey Says Taxes Need to be Big

5 April 2010

A study out of the Rand Corporation has concluded that “small taxes” on soda do little to reduce soft drink consumption or prevent childhood obesity. Economist Roland Sturm and his teams analyzed how more than 7,300 fifth graders ate, drank and moved. The children were asked, as part of the study, how many sodas and [...]

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“The Onion” Coverage of the Soda Tax

14 March 2010

It turns out that more states and localities are considering a soda tax to raise money fight obesity. For a laugh, check out The Onion‘s coverage.

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Sweet, Sweet Taxes

27 February 2010

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter (D) made headlines all over the country this week when signed a bill adding sales tax to candy and soda. The bill was one of nine bills meant to address the state’s $1.5 billion budget shortfall. The bill, as in other states like Pennsylvania, is being touted as an elimination of [...]

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More on Health Care Reform: Congress Apparently Sweet on Soda Tax

28 July 2009

Though the health care reform bill has officially been tabled until after the break, there is still work to do in Congress before a vote can be scheduled. At the top of the list? Find a way to pay for the bill. The Senate Finance Committee has considered a number of funding options but nothing [...]

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“Fat Tax” On the Scene Again – This Time, In the Senate

13 May 2009

Argh. Can our debate on health care and taxes get any worse at this point? After New York tried – and failed – to tax sugary soft drinks as part of a so-called “fat tax”, you’d think the matter would be put to rest. But that’s far from how our Senate works. If it doesn’t [...]

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Governor Paterson Not Sweet on Soda: Fat Tax Proposal

20 December 2008

Following in the footsteps of Alabama and countries like the UK, the state of New York is considering imposing a so-called “fat tax.” While each municipality is a little different, the New York proposal would slap an 18% tax on sodas and sugar-filled drinks which contain less than 70% real fruit juice. The official position [...]

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Alabama Imposes “Fat Tax”

28 October 2008

Just one week after I published my primer on Alabama state taxes, an article was posted on TheRoot.com touting a new tax in Alabama: the fat tax. It’s not as literal as it sounds. The Alabama State Employees’ Insurance Board has approved a plan which requires state workers to pay up if they don’t utilize [...]

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Fat? It’s Gonna Cost You.

13 July 2007

Well, only if you live in the UK. Our friends across the pond at Oxford University claim that charging VAT (Value Added Tax, sort of like a sales tax) of 17.5% on foods deemed to be unhealthy would reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes. The theory is that increased costs will slash consumer [...]

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