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Governor David Paterson met with students at Morrisville State College yesterday to talk about the budget, and was forced to admit that his proposed "obesity tax" was all but defeated, Newsday reports. In response to a student's question about the "foolish tax on soda," Paterson said he doesn't "think the legislature will pass it...But often publicity is as important as legislation." The plan would have put an 18% tax on soda and other sugary drinks containing less than 70% fruit juice, raising an estimated $1 billion for the state while discouraging the consumption of such crap. But the beverage industry was prepared to fight it in court, and yesterday the governor spun the failed proposal as simply part of an ongoing effort to raise awareness. He also warned students who think diet cola is the health-conscious choice: "Sure there's sugar in regular soda, but the chemicals in diet soda will kill you, too." Apparently, the students were just too mature to ask him to elaborate on the dangers of Coke.
Obesity Tax Bellyflops, Admits Paterson
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Anyone know what legal argument the beverage lobby would have? It seems like this taxation would have been completely within the legislature's power.
Taxing soda is a great idea, too bad our politicians are too shortsighted and sold out to do it.
"shortsighted"
hehe, no pun intended, seriously
"Sure there's sugar in regular soda, but the chemicals in diet soda will kill you, too."
I'm no fan of fizzy sugar water, but isn't this a libelous statement?
Take out the middleman. Have a weight census and tax according to BMI. The deep south would clean up with this one.
BMI as a measure of health/fitness is completely useless. Use bodyfat percentage and tax for every percent over the average.
If this was part of some plan to combat obesity, why did Paterson also propose taxing gym memberships?
Gym memberships are a luxury item, that's why.
In that case, you must think good health should be a luxury too.
Regardless, taxing them puts them further out of reach of the less well off. It certainly contradicts this claim the government is concerned about obesity.
You make a gross assumption that a gym membership is the only way to be healthy. That is far from reality.
The government can be concerned about obesity without removing all taxes on any health-related purchases. They just aren't mutually exclusive.
You make a gross assumption that a gym membership is the only way to be healthy.
He said no such thing. And this is not meant to defend Ides or the merits of the tax. It's to defend reading comprehension and logic.
"In that case, you must think good health should be a luxury too."
This was the original statement.. and apparently you had no problem with that, although it was a much larger assumption and leap of logic than the one I made. Noted.
You come across as a typical limousine liberal: quite eager to tell the peasants how to live by taxing the things they like to consume (for their own good of course because only you know what's best) while keeping the same riff-raff out of the places you like to frequent such as health clubs.
Do you have any Grey Poupon, Republican douchebag?
You're so predictable.
Never been to a gym. Keep assuming. It's really quite amusing how many RWs on the internet simply make shit up and then try to attack me based on the shit they just made up.
Many jobs in NY state in Coke and Pepsi bottling/canning, distribution and sales. More importantly, PepsiCo's headquarters are in Westchester. What other governor would try to damage a major state industry this way? Dreyer's ice cream that owns Haagen Dazs and other major brands is in California - can't see even the healthy body-focused Schwartzenegger singling out the ice cream industry.
Politicians these days aren't concerned about what's good for everyone. They are only concerned about pushing their own agenda.
So hiking the price of soda results in less demand for the product which results in people losing their jobs. So what? They can go on unemployment and welfare. At least we won't have to look at fat kids anymore.
How about taxing wire transfers out of the country?
YOU GOTTA LOVE THAT STOCK OBESITY PHOTO OF THE FAT KID AT MCDONALDS. IT WARMS MY HEART EVERY TIME I SEE IT.
Yeah, at this point I'm just trying to think of excuses to use it at least once a week.
The calorie info was nice...it has changed the way I order at certain restaurants. This, however, is a bit over the top. Why not educate people instead of charging them more? NYC is really starting to smell a bit like a nanny state...
Rocknrope, I just spoke to a lawyer friend of mine and he said that you could get that to stick as a libelous statement.
Unfortunately, NY has been trying to tax everything in sight lately to make up for the budget shortfall. New York's shortfall is the not on account of a lack of taxes but a mismanaged government and people who milk the system.
be careful, henricus. you make far too much sense for this forum.
DIET soda is just as bad (if not worse) then regular soda as it has harmful artificial sweeteners like *Aspartame.*
If given the choice (which hopefully would be neither), but if given a choice, I would choose Regular soda over Diet any day.
This. Yes. I know plenty of people--some in my own family--who can't drink diet soda. I have no particular problem with a (smallish) soda tax, as long as it covers regular AND diet. Otherwise, it's just punishing people who occasionally want a sweet drink but can't handle the artificial sweeteners.
Mostly I just wish the kosher Coke were available more widely in this country, instead of just for Passover.
Paterson is really on a roll. Any guesses on how many failures he'll have by the time next year's election season comes around?
Well, we really need just the one failure from him -the failure to get elected.
http://killercoke.org/
Ahhh, the joys of seeing American children with their beautifully pudgy bodies just dripping with overhanging excess fat and cellulite! I can just imagine the delicate aroma emanating from the chubby dirt-filled crevices of their smelly bodies right now.