Journal News columnist Phil Reismen lampoons the idea of a soda tax by setting forth his mock proposal for the next most logical step: a tax on obesity itself. He writes, To carry out the plan, citizens would be required by law to report every year to community weigh stations established by a brand new Federal Bureau of Obesity. Considering that 26% of adults are clinically obese, the tax would initially raise many billions of dollars in revenue, not to mention do wonders for liposuctionists.
Of course, this is satire, says Stier. Still, this is fundamentally what people like MeMe Roth -- a nutrition activist whom ACSH representatives are frequently called to debate -- want to do with taxes on sodas and so-called junk foods. They say, These people are imposing healthcare costs on me, so we should tax their soda consumption. A BMI tax is a more direct and effective way to do it, because the soda tax only taxes certain calories. What about the people who are obese because they eat too much of another food? It would be hard to tax people for not exercising, so this plan would bypass the inefficiencies and just tax the big fat bottom line.