An Excise Tax On Sugary Beverages

By: Catherine Perry

Background Knowledge• Government is trying to put a $0.01 per fluid ounce excise tax on sugary beverages• Americans spend approximately $147 billion a year on medical expenditures

related to obesity• Excise tax would go to pay for health coverage and prevention programs

My Position I am for an excise tax on sugary beverages!

Call to ActionIf you go to www.michelleperryfitness.com/ you can find out more

information about the excise tax on sugary beverages. You can print out the article and hand it out to your friends or family or you can encourage people to go to the website and look at the article for themselves. People need to learn about the excise tax so if the time comes to vote we can be prepared to vote correctly.

Kelly D. Brownell

Kelly D. Brownell is the director of Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. He believes we should put an excise tax on sugary beverages. He believes an excise tax is more effective than a sales tax because you do not see the added cost of the sales tax until you get to the cash register. He thinks it is very sad that the addictive properties of sugar and gratuitous addition of caffeine makes people come back for more.

Harold Goldstein

He is an executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA). He is sponsoring the bill. He is for having an excise tax on sugary beverages. He believes that the sugary drinks are the largest cause of the obesity crisis. He believes that the tax is the only way to reduce consumption and pay for programs that will address the problems.

The American Beverage Association (ABA)

The ABA is against having an excise tax on sugary beverages. The tax would force people to stop buying their products. They also believe that the government would be unfairly targeting one out of a sea of beverages. They also think that the legislation would hurt low- income residents and local businesses.

Michael F. Jacobson

Michael F. Jacobson, director of the CSPI, is for the excise tax. He explains that what once was a rare treat in a small serving is now served morning, noon, and night. He believes that these beverages should bare a warning about what the drink could do to you or a suggestion for something else you could drink.

Rights and Common Good

The rights of this world is to be able to gain access to healthy foods and get the medical help they need. The government will make it easier to access healthy foods in, schools, day cares, and recreation facilities if the excise tax is passed. This affects the first right. The excise tax would go to pay for health coverage so that would affect the second right. Being happy and physically able to take care of yourself is what putting an excise tax on sugary beverages supports. It will help you to be healthy and in control of yourself.