5 reasons why soda (and other 'fat') taxes wont work

It's beyond me why various professors of public health, (witchdoctors as a University of Western Australia academic refers to them), amongst others both here and overseas, continue to push for proscriptive nanny state measures that are already known to not only not work but, perversely, have unintended consequences that can make things worse. The movement to implement a "fat tax" can be traced all the way back to a 1994 New York Times op-ed by Yale University's Kelly Brownell. Professor Brownell has continued his advocacy for such taxes, both alone and along with former New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden. Other activists, such as Center for Science in the Public Interest's (CSPI) Michael Jacobson, have over time joined their crusade. These advocates and other sin-tax proponents have urged Congress to fund government healthcare services with a fat tax, an effort that proved unsuccessful. However, states and cities in search of new sources of revenue, and eager to be seen as "doing something" to oppose obesity, have now also stepped into the fray. Twenty state and local legislatures are reportedly pursuing taxes on soft drinks. Five Key Problems. As the nation's food police begin fantasizing about a thinner population, coupled with sizable new streams of government revenue, a closer look at five key problems with soft drink taxes is warranted. Via the Food & Health Skeptic

Posted via email from Garth's posterous