Soda Tax Sticker Shock Grips Seattle

[Machismo]

I've never been a fan of sin taxes, or attempts to regulate things to death. Seattle is a nice city, but their desire to financially punish people for mundane actions is absurd.

[Barnabas]

What's the tax breakdown on cigarettes per pack now? I fail to see how taxing sugared beverages is any different.

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At least for cigs, use declines with tax increases, especially among new/potential users and poor people. So better luck lying somewhere else.

Oh boy you got 5% of smokers to switch to vaping instead. So 5% of people that drink sugary will stop is the goal here also? Gasoline is taxed heavily and have people stopped buying gas because of it? Let me guess maybe 5% again?

[Mad_Murdock]

What's the tax breakdown on cigarettes per pack now? I fail to see how taxing sugared beverages is any different.

At least for cigs, use declines with tax increases, especially among new/potential users and poor people. So better luck lying somewhere else.

At least for Cigs, wasn't smoking going down regardless? Pretty much everywhere you go now doesn't allow smoking inside. Now if they applied that same rule to soda problem solved!

[Coogles]

When they pulled this in Chicago last year a lot of people just starting driving to collar counties to buy their soda, and while there do grocery shopping for the week, fill up their tanks and stop at a restaurant for a meal. The revenue from the soda tax was never anywhere near what they projected and if you count all the lost sales tax from people going across the border to shop it was probably a net loss for the county.

[FurryRedVixen]

Actually its not really the sugar that is the problem, our bodies would naturally reject, and purge such massive intake of sugar, but it doesnt, know why? This lil gem will answer that for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih_bh5mfTv0

Apologize if this has been posted before.

[Bailine57]

Funny, how all of a sudden when a measure intended to increase overall health actually touches the folks here, it's an evil evil robbing scheme. Yet I'd be more than positive that there wouldn't be more than a hand full of people here crying half as loud when hefty taxes on vaping liquids were implemented.

Also: Comparing this to the (partial) failure of huge taxes on alcohol and tobacco is entirely pointless. You get actually physically addicted to the latter. With sugar, we only have a few not very well reviewed studies out there that desparatly TRY to come up with evidence for an actual sugar addiction (which imho are utter BS).

In ALL other topics that deal with health and obesity, you have way more than enough overzealous "do-it-righters" and "it's-so-easiers", but when someone touches your sweetened sewage water, it's unfair and bad... Give me a break. Just HOW hypocritical can MMO-C get?

The difference is that, at the moment and as far as I’m aware, there is no research or evidence that points to vaping being harmful or as harmful as sugar. I don’t think anyone is claiming that sugar addiction is the thing this is meant to curb. What it’s meant to do is discourage purchasing of it in the hopes that people will choose healthier alternatives. Obesity is a problem in the US and Seattle is making a misguided attempt to fix it in their neck of the woods.

[Ripster42]

At least for Cigs, wasn't smoking going down regardless? Pretty much everywhere you go now doesn't allow smoking inside. Now if they applied that same rule to soda problem solved!

I mean, you could read the study.

Oh boy you got 5% of smokers to switch to vaping instead. So 5% of people that drink sugary will stop is the goal here also? Gasoline is taxed heavily and have people stopped buying gas because of it? Let me guess maybe 5% again?

You could also read the study.

[truckboattruck]

you save more lives taxing soda than you do taxing bullets.
even in chiraq

and thats seriously saying something

[Kakera]

Don't worry, it won't last. They tried the same thing in Illinois and it failed miserably. Lasted less than 6 months.

[sionus]

Fine by me. Don't drink soda if you don't like it. You shouldn't be anyhow. We all have to pay for the medical issues like diabetes and tooth decay when it rots your body.

[Mad_Murdock]

I mean, you could read the study.

Is the exact answer to my question in that study? If so, could you tell me where, I'm not seeing it.

[IIamaKing]

Im sure this will get lard asses to stop drinking 2 liters like a 20 oz. Or it will make them drive their fatty scooters to the next county....doing nothing at all.

[Barnabas]

I mean, you could read the study.


You could also read the study.

No I'll still to facts from other studies that conclude only a 5% drop.

The tax is an assault on our beverage industry.

[Ripster42]

No I'll still to facts from other studies that conclude only a 5% drop.

The tax is an assault on our beverage industry.

These unlinked studies are so much better than the one I actually linked.

Is the exact answer to my question in that study? If so, could you tell me where, I'm not seeing it.

They found a relation between tax increases and usage. You're apparently not reading.

On average, a price increase of 10% on a pack of cigarettes would reduce demand for cigarettes by about 4% for the general adult population in high income countries

They're saying the decreased demand is dependent on the price increase, not smoking law changes (as the study done that reflects that impact was done before most of the smoking law changes were implemented). Again this is a comprehension issue on your part.

[Barnabas]

These unlinked studies are so much better than the one I actually linked.



They found a relation between tax increases and usage. You're apparently not reading.

They're saying the decreased demand is dependent on the price increase, not smoking law changes (as the study done that reflects that impact was done before most of the smoking law changes were implemented). Again this is a comprehension issue on your part.

Yet every fucking article you can read on google states a 5% reduction. Just accept it already. Your 'study' is wrong.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...=.ceb08c144efb

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...tinues-to-fall

It's just a way to increase taxes with a 'feel good' message behind it. This is what progressives have historically done to assault things they dislike.

[Najnaj]

Don't people in the us have to pay for their own healthcare ? I don't see the use of that fee. Discouraging people ?

I could understand it here in canada where if you get obese and you cause problem you actually cost other people money.

You are half right. US citizens pay for their own healthcare IN ADDITION to what the government pays. Ironically, the average US citizen pay an almost identical amount of taxes for healthcare as a UK citizen does, roughly 90%, The notable exception is that a UK citizen gets free healthcare (and dental care??) while the US citizen has to wait until they are almost dead for that and their hospital visit costs 18 times as much as it would have done 2 years ago. BRILLIANT!!

Example, most people in the US do not get diabetes medication free. The good news is that you get a free state of the art amputation followed by lifelong benefits after you lose your leg to diabetes......

[Ripster42]

Yet every fucking article you can read on google states a 5% reduction. Just accept it already. Your 'study' is wrong.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...=.ceb08c144efb

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...tinues-to-fall

It's just a way to increase taxes with a 'feel good' message behind it.

From your own story (which isn't a study btw), basically the same quote as my study:

For every 10 percent increase in cigarette price, experts say, you can expect an overall reduction in cigarette consumption of 3 to 5 percent and an even greater reduction among youths — 6 to 7 percent.

You're wrong. Reading comprehension is a skill you need to bone up on.

[Barnabas]

From your own story (which isn't a study btw), basically the same quote as my study:



You're wrong. Reading comprehension is a skill you need to bone up on.

Well at least you finally come around to admitting it's only 5%. Good job. Enjoy the rest of your day.

[Mad_Murdock]

They found a relation between tax increases and usage. You're apparently not reading.
.

I wasn't arguing against your study. I had heard, but I won't be able to provide you any studies, that smoking was on the decline since the 70s or something like that.

[jackofwind]

Also, yeah diet cokes taste not as good yet they are still chugged

Diet Coke might be ass, which it is, but Coke Zero tastes better than Coke Classic to me. I can hardly stand how sweet Coke Classic is now.