Excessive sugar consumption has been proven to have an adverse effect on public health. Several cities throughout the U.S. have proposed sugar-sweetened beverage taxes or outright sought to ban the sale of soda. While many efforts have been rejected by voters, the city of Berkeley, California, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania have introduced higher taxes on sugary beverages. Mexico on the other hand, imposed country-wide taxes on sugary beverages and other junk food to reduce the growing rate of obesity. Now policymakers in California want to pass a statewide tax on sugar-sweetened drinks to reduce consumption and thereby reduce external costs on society.
Compose an essay in which you address the following questions:
Discuss the typical effects of a tax.
In your opinion, should the government impose a tax on sugary beverages? How will the tax affect people of different income levels? How will it affect businesses?
According to the articles you read, have sugar taxes had the intended effect in other cities or countries? Do you believe that a sugar tax will achieve the same results in California?
Instead of or in addition to a tax, how can the government combat the growing problem of excessive sugar consumption and health related problems? What are other forms of intervention
A few sources to use for the essay (recommended by teacher):
Senate bill
Assembly Member Bloom. (2017, April 19). AB-1003 California Community Health Fund. California Legislative Information. Retrieved from http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB1003 (Links to an external site.)
McGreevy, P. (2016, March 8). More expensive soda? Lawmakers want to tax sugary drinks. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-soda-tax-20160308-story.html (Links to an external site.)
Sugar-sweetened beverage tax in Berkeley, Philadelphia, and Mexico
Sugary Beverage Tax https://www.cityofberkeley.info/uploadedFiles/Clerk/Elections/Sugar%20Sweeetened%20Beverage%20Tax%20%20-%20Full%20Text.pdf (Links to an external site.)
Philadelphia Beverage Tax https://www.phila.gov/services/payments-assistance-taxes/business-taxes/philadelphia-beverage-tax/ (Links to an external site.)
Mexico Sugary Beverage Tax
Examples of sugar taxes
Aubrey, A. (2019, March 25). To curb kid’s sugary drink habits, pediatricians now call for soda taxes. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/03/25/706635209/to-curb-kids-sugary-drink-habits-pediatricians-now-call-for-soda-taxes (Links to an external site.)
Aubrey, A. (2016, June 9). Taxing sugar: 5 things to know about Philly’s proposed soda tax. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/09/481390378/taxing-sugar-5-things-to-know-about-phillys-proposed-soda-tax (Links to an external site.)
Barclay, E. (2015, June 19). Mexico’s sugary drink tax makes a dent in consumption, study claims. NPR. Retreived from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/06/19/415741354/mexicos-sugary-drink-tax-makes-a-dent-in-consumption-study-claims (Links to an external site.)
Charles, D. (2019, February 21). Sugar taxes work, studies suggest—but maybe not as well as hoped. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/02/21/696709717/u-s-soda-taxes-work-studies-suggest-but-maybe-not-as-well-as-hoped (Links to an external site.)
Charles, D. (2016, August 23). Berkeley’s soda tax appears to cut consumption of sugary drinks. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/23/491104093/berkeleys-soda-tax-appears-to-cut-consumption-of-sugary-drinks (Links to an external site.)
Colchero, MA. (2017, March). In Mexico evidence of sustained consumer response two years after implementing a sugar-sweetened beverage tax Health Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2016.1231 (Links to an external site.)
Fredrick, J. (2020, September 5). Mexican states ban sale of junk food to minors. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2020/09/05/909969074/mexico-bans-sale-of-junk-food-to-minors (Links to an external site.)
Kaplan, K. (2016, August 23). Berkeley sees a big drop in soda consumption after penny-per-ounce ‘soda tax.’ Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-soda-tax-works-20160823-snap-story.html (Links to an external site.)
Manke, K. (2019, February 21). Three years into soda tax, sugary drink consumption down more than 50% in Berkeley. Berkeley News. Retrieved from https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/02/21/three-years-into-soda-tax-sugary-drink-consumption-down-more-than-50-percent-in-berkeley/ (Links to an external site.)
Battle by the Sugar and Soda Industry
Aubrey, A. (2017, April 5). Judges take up Big Soda’s suit to abolish Philadelphia’s sugar tax. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/04/05/522626223/judges-take-up-big-sodas-suit-to-abolish-philadelphias-sugar-tax (Links to an external site.)
Gonzales, R. (2019, January 31). Federal appeals court blocks San Francisco law on ad warnings for sugary drinks. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2019/01/31/690541166/federal-appeals-court-blocks-san-francisco-law-on-ad-warnings-for-sugary-drinks (Links to an external site.)
PBS Newshour. (2012, June 7). Should sugary drinks be taxed like cigarettes? [PBS]. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/video/pbs-newshour-should-sugary-drinks-be-taxed-like-cigarettes/ (Links to an external site.)
O’Connor, A. (2016, September 13). Sugar industry paid scientists to misdirect obesity blame. Seattle Times. Retrieved from https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/sugar-industry-paid-scientists-to-misdirect-obesity-blame/ (Links to an external site.)
Szabo, L. (2018, November 5). Big soda and the ballot: Soda industry takes cues from tobacco to combat taxes. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/11/05/664435761/big-soda-and-the-ballot-soda-industry-takes-cues-from-tobacco-to-combat-taxes (Links to an external site.)
The sugar industry used big tobacco techniques. [Editorial]. (2016, September 13). San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved from http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/The-sugar-industry-used-Big-Tobacco-techniques-9220926.php
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