13 May 2009

Soda Tax On Working Americans Proposed To Fund Health Care


Is there anyone out there that still wants to defend Obama's promise of "no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase". First there was the tax on cigarettes (62 cents/pack) to fund S-Chip, and now a federal tax on pop is in the works under the guise of making America less lardassish and to fund the outlandishly expensive health care reform. From WSJ:

On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee is set to hear proposals from about a dozen experts about how to pay for the comprehensive health-care overhaul that President Barack Obama wants to enact this year. Early estimates put the cost of the plan at around $1.2 trillion. The administration has so far only earmarked funds for about half of that amount.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based watchdog group that pressures food companies to make healthier products, plans to propose a federal excise tax on soda, certain fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and ready-to-drink teas. It would not include most diet beverages. Excise taxes are levied on goods and manufacturers typically pass them on to consumers.
Too bad Pepsi's new PR campaign to alter their logo to a "Yes, We Can!" motif didn't win any hearts and minds with the political class. Perhaps if Washington spent less time concocting new schemes to tax working Americans and more time figuring out how to not send dead people social security checks, they'd save some money.

7 comments:

Northman said...

The part I love most is that I don't even smoke or drink soda for the most part and yet every time I get in the grocery store line behind the people with the "Access Card" (welfare) they're buying just those things. So even if I don't drink the soda or smoke the cigarettes I still get taxed on them... TWICE basically.

Bag Blog said...

I don't smoke soda either, but I do drink them now and then. OK has a grocery tax which I really hate and think is a big tax on the lower income families - fortunately we live close to TX and can do some across the border shopping.

Average American said...

As soon as they manage to figure out a way to tax AIR, you can bet your bippy they will! Excuse me, I gotta go and puke now.

olgreydog7 said...

Though I do think it is a dirty trick, I don't think I'm all that opposed to it if they are going ahead with this health care plan. I don't drink Coke and I don't smoke, so it doesn't affect me. But, I don't want to pay for fat slobs that eat, drink, and smoke themselves to death. I have no problem with basic health care to care for things that are not preventable, but screw people who do things that they know will harm them and then expect the government to pay for it.

DaveC said...

Soft Drinks today are equivalent to Tea a couple of hundred years ago.I can't believe the cluelessness of the people who come up with these schemes.

Nixon said...

OGD,

It's been proven that smokers/fatsos cost society less in the long run because they croak earlier.

olgreydog7 said...

I know, but my point is, although it is quite vailed, is that I don't like socialized health care. Where do you draw the line on what to tax to pay for it? Red meat, bacon, ranch dressing?